Dragon Slaying Pirate?
by KuroHi91
Summary: Taken from her world, thrown into the world of One Piece, and given powers that are not from either world... How is this person  going to deal with this? Especially when she is mistaken for a boy! Sanji X OC Writing gets drastically better as it progresses, I promise.
1. Chapter 1: Dullness Of Reality

Yay! First chapter! My first time writing, so reviews and critiques are appreciated. FYI, I probably won't update often, as I do have a life. I don't really write often, and thought I would post this for fun.

Inspired by 1337box's story: One Piece: Magician on Board

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p><em>Man, another boring day at school.<em> I thought, as I stared mindlessly out the window. School just seemed so boring and made me feel restricted. _I wonder how life as a pirate would be._ Yes, I know it seems cliché, but risking your life every single day at sea is way better compared to living is safety without freedom. Suddenly, a hard smack to my head snapped me out of my thoughts. "Yukio! Pay attention in class!" yelled the snot-nosed teacher. Snickers could be heard throughout the class room. Accompanying them were the usual ridicules. "What a tomboy. She's such a weirdo. I bet she's actually a boy dressed as a girl. She's a monster." I ignored their annoying insults, and pretended to pay attention to the lecture.

My name is Yukio, and I am 16 years old. I have short black hair and dark brown eyes. As you have heard, I am a tomboy. It's not like I act that way on purpose, but if you've lived in a house with 3 older brothers who are apparently obsessed with martial arts, you have to fend for yourself. Thanks to genetics, I was born with a high level of endurance and "boyish" features. I started learning martial arts at the age of 5, and have been stuck with it for my whole life. I basically adapted my own style of fighting using kicks, as I found it less damaging for a girl with skinny arms (me). All the leg training led to me having an above average speed. I mainly wear t-shirts and baggy pants, as they are easier to fight in as well as comfortable. Thanks to a past incident with the school, students were allowed to dress in casual clothes instead of uniforms (thank god).

_Man, sometimes I wish my life was as exciting as an anime. I could have magic like what Fairy Tail mages have, or devil fruit powers like people from One Piece. Sigh, the dullness of reality is harsh._


	2. Chapter 2: Improvement?

Yay! Another chapter done! Sorry that they are so short. Making up most of the story as I go along. Hope you like it!

Inspired by 1337box's story: One Piece: Magician on Board

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p>After school, I ran back home in hopes of finishing the latest episodes of One Piece and Fairy Tail. However, as I ran across the street, a truck appeared out of nowhere. As it was about to collide into me, my only thought was:<em> Oh shit.<em> Suddenly, a wave of multiple colors hit me and swept me away. As I was losing conscious, I saw a lone seagull in a clear blue sky. _When did the city have seagulls?_ I thought. I was sadly mistaken, as I wasn't in Tokyo anymore.

_**Whoosh**__. Huh? The sound of waves? _I thought as I heard the low rumble and splash of water from a distance. My whole body was sore and I was lying on some grass. After a few moments passed, I sat up and noticed my clothes seemed oddly big. As I inspected my body closer, I found that I had shrunk! Well, the more accurate term would be that I had gotten younger. _ Great, I must be around seven or eight. Last I recall, I was a healthy sixteen year-old girl who was about to be hit by a truck. _I sat there for a couple more seconds._ Well, at least I got my wish. My life just got more interesting._

For once in my life, I was grateful for my dad's Spartan-like survival training in the woods, as I got out my pocket knife ( It's registered, don't worry) and travel-size sewing kit from my pockets. I never went without them as I found that they are really useful; especially when you are subjected to lots of bullying involving torn jackets and bags. I started cutting my red shirt and cargo pants, trimming the excess fabric. As I was cutting, the reflection from my knife made me notice something. Using the knife as a mirror, I realized that my eyes had changed. They were no longer a dark brown, but rather a golden orange color. I shrugged, thinking, _I'd say that is an improvement. _Finishing the trimming, Ithen used the fabric to make something useful. I used the material from my pants to make a crude bag, and used the red cloth from my shirt to make a bandana. When I was finished adjusting the size of my clothes, I started to inspect my surroundings.


	3. Chapter 3: Seriously?

Three chapters in one day? I'm on a roll! I feel that the story is going way too fast. Any suggestions to help me fix that? Reviews, critiques, and even ideas are accepted!

Inspired by 1337box's story: One Piece: Magician on Board

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p>I was standing on a cliff overlooking an ocean. The gentle breeze was refreshing, and the smell of seawater was new to me after years of being in the city. As I stood there, I felt a tinge of sadness. <em>I hope my brothers aren't worrying about me too much. Those muscle heads are too overprotective of their "baby" sister.<em> Suddenly, I heard a rustle behind me. Assuming a defensive stance, I turned to the source of the noise ready for an attack. As the rustling grew louder, a rabbit popped out of the bushes. _A rabbit huh? I guess I could hunt it for food. I haven't eaten for a while._ My thoughts were cut short as the rabbit took off, me not far behind.

As I was hiding in the bushes, the rabbit in my sights, I thought to myself, _I never thought I would be hunting animals again._ When I saw the rabbit turn away from me, I took the chance to attack. However, instead of a rabbit in my grasps, I found a head hitting my head. "Ow! Oi Luffy! I told you… wait, you aren't Luffy" said the owner of the head I bumped into. As I looked up from my recoil, I met face to face with a boy around 8 or 9. He had black wavy hair, and freckles on his face. I froze in only thought was: _Portgas D. Ace._

_What the heck is this? Why is Ace here? Why does he even exist? Wait, does this mean I'm in One Piece! OMG OMG OMG! _I was snapped awake from my panicking when Ace said, "Oi. I've never seen you here before. The only boys around here that are my age are Luffy and Sabo. Talk." I deadpanned. _He thinks I'm a boy? Sigh, even in an alternate dimension I'm mistaken for a guy. _"My name's Yukio." _Wait. If I can pass off as a guy to even Ace, I can probably fool anyone. Maybe if I pretend to be a guy, I can get stronger without that dumb unspoken rule of guys protecting girls getting in my way._


	4. Chapter 4: Hunting Competition

Thanks so much to 1337's shout outs in his recent chapters of One Piece: Magician on Board. Remember, Reviews, Critiques, and even Ideas are appreciated!Once again, sorry for the short chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p>I smiled, deciding that I should make my plan into a game. <em>How long will I be able to fool these meat-for-brains?<em> Ace stared at me for a second, confused at my sudden smile. Recovering, he said "Ace. So, where did you come from anyway? It's obvious you aren't from the Grey Terminal or Foosha Village if I've never seen you." "Actually, I swam up shore yesterday after my raft sunk not far from here. I ran away from my home island after my parents died, looking for an adventure. I've been sailing for a couple of days now, and have run out of supplies" I explained. Surprisingly, he believed me and said, "Since I bumped into you and all, how about I help you hunt? There's way better game than a small rabbit around here." I refused, but rather, gave him a proposition. "How about we have a competition? Whoever hunts the most meat wins?" I smirked. _If I know Ace, he would never back out of a competition._ "You're on" he said, with a fierce look and grin on his face.

After we had settled on an end time and place, 3 hours and on the cliff I landed on, we dashed off into the forest. I immediately decided the perfect game for my first kill, a bear. However, I noticed something odd about my body. I was faster and stronger than how I was even when I was 16. I decided to shrug it off as an effect of the adrenalin from hunting. I spotted a bear a few yards away, and slowed to a stop. I carefully weaved my way through the brush so that I was only a few feet away from the unsuspecting bear. Heart pumping, I drew my knife, ready to attack. I leapt, and what happened next, blew my mind.


	5. Chapter 5: Brown to Gold to Blue

5th chapter yay! So, I'm not going to be updating for a while for Christmas. Hope you like the story, and thanks again for the reviews! P.s: Shoutout to Lance! 3

Disclaimer: I do no own anything other than Yukio.

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><p>I focused all my energy into my arm, bracing myself for the impact. Suddenly, a bright blue magic circle appeared around my arm. I felt a drain of power, but in return, my arm was encased in a torrent of blue flames. I involuntarily yelled, <em><strong>Fire Dragon's Flaming Blade!<strong>_ The startled bear turned towards me intending to strike, but was too late. My knife dug deep into its throat, the flames surrounding the bear. In mere seconds the bear was dead, from the wound in its throat or the flames, I knew not. I staggered off the corpse, shocked at what I was able to accomplish. Looking at my previously fire-enclosed arm, I noticed a scale-like pattern on them. My eyed widened, as I realized the new-found power I had obtained. _Dragon Slayer Magic._

I stared at my arm for what seemed like hours, contemplating how in the world I was able to use magic. _Wait, why am I surprised at this? Compared to being thrown into another world, reverting back into a seven year-old, and being mistaken for a boy, this doesn't fall far from the tree._ Suddenly, a distant yell snapped me out of my thoughts.

"ACEEEEE!" yelled Luffy, as I could see him running towards me.

"Wait, you aren't Ace. Who are you?"

"Name's Yukio. I'm having a hunting contest with Ace right now."

I motioned toward the bear.

"Do you know where I can find any bigger game?"

"How about a giant crocodile? I'll help!"

"No thanks, I think I can handle it myself."

As I finished my conversation with Luffy, I tested out my new powers, and ignited my hand. Luffy's eyes sparkled and he had a wide grin on his face. _Of course Luffy would be excited to see something so interesting._ "WOW! You're a devil fruit user? Me too! You got cool blue flames and eyes!" _Huh? My eyes are gold not blue. Unless..._ I used my knife as a mirror again, and watched as my eyes faded from a cool blue back to their gold color as my flames died down. Cool.


	6. Chapter 6: Learn to be Stealthy

Sorry I haven't been updating lately. Went to Las Vegas for Christmas and I got stuck on this chapter for some reason. Be prepared for a special guest and a few time skips in the future! Sorry for the shortness.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p>"Actually, I'm not a devil fruit user. This was something I was born with." I replied, as Luffy's eyes were still sparkling. "Awesome! Join my pirate crew!" I stared at him, surprised that he would invite me so quickly. Although I was happy he invited me, I refused. With a VERY serious look, I said "No thanks, I'll start my journey solo for now. I might consider joining your crew in a few years though." Luffy took the hint in the tone of my voice, and didn't pursue the topic.<p>

As I ran through the forest, with Luffy some distance behind me, I began to think. _I hope I can pass off as a guy for that long. I might have to tell Dadan at least. Oh god I hope Garp doesn't show up soon._ Soon, we arrived at a river and I noticed a fare number of crocodiles. _Time to practice using my powers._ I gave a smirk in the direction of the crocs and drew my knife. Igniting it once again, I pounced onto the nearest croc. _Maybe I should've approached this more stealthily_. I thought, as more crocodiles joined in the battle. I noticed that Luffy was in another area, fighting his own group. _I guess we have another contestant._


	7. Chapter 7: Nom Times!

Ok, so it may be a while before I introduce the special guest but it will eventually happen! School is back and my boredom in class as well. However, I have club activities and finals soon after schools back so I probably will not update for a long time sorry!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p>In the end, Ace still won. I had around 34ths of what he had, and Luffy had around 7/8ths. _I'd say that's an accomplishment for a girl against two freakishly strong boys._ As we sat and ate our food, we heard another rustle in the bushes. Almost instantly, Ace and I got into a defensive stance while Luffy was still devouring his food. "Wait, wait! It's me, Sabo!" said a voice. I saw Ace relax and decided to do the same, as I knew Sabo was Ace and Luffy's friend. Sabo emerged from the bushes, and immediately noticed the new face among his friends. "Who's that?" Ace replied, "This is Yukio. He's a runaway and shipwrecked not far from this island." Sabo gave a nod, and then noticed all the meat. "AAAAH! You guys were eating without me! Let me have some!" I chuckled slightly and offered him a portion of my rations "Here, you can have half of mine. I'm not an eating machine like these two idiots." I motioned towards Ace and Luffy, as they were devouring down huge chunks of meat.

As Ace, Sabo, Luffy and I finished our meal, we started to talk. We told stories of past hunting trips and funny moments that recently happened. Luffy decided to tell a story of how he reacted to seeing my flames. I laughed as I remembered how his eyes sparkled in amazement and fascination. However, when Ace asked about my home island, I froze. He noticed this and said "If you don't want to talk about it, that's ok." I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm just a bit regretful that I left it all behind. So, where should I start?"


	8. Chapter 8: Proposition

HAPPY NEW YEAR! The fireworks are blasting outside and I bet the cops are gonna come soon :D. Everyone have an awesome year and be happy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p>I proceeded to tell them about myself, excluding some facts that seemed irrelevant in this world. "Well, where I lived was pretty peaceful. Although everyone kept to themselves and their families, everyone still lived in harmony for the most part. It was neither a rich nor a poor community, just breezing by everyday. The kids of the town were pretty snobbish. I was usually alone; being mocked by them because of how girly I look, while my three older brothers were practicing at the dojo. I ignored them, knowing I can kick their butts if they ever push me over the edge. My mother was a waitress in the town's restaurant and my dad was the master of the local dojo. However, they both died in an accident where a thief had robbed us, and then burned the house down to make it look like we weren't stolen from. Luckily, I escaped the building along with my brothers thanks to my parent's sacrifice." I paused, taking a deep breath to prevent tears coming from my eyes. "My brothers took it upon themselves to raise me in my parent's place. They taught me martial arts and other skills. However, after a year, I felt trapped on that island, so I ran away."<p>

All three boys looked at me. Ace and Sabo had very serious faces. However, Luffy was well, being Luffy and making a very confused face. Finally, he broke the silence and said, "So it's a mystery island?" I burst out laughing while Ace and Sabo just sweat dropped at Luffy. "Yes, yes, it's a mystery island," I gasped, clutching my side as I tried to recover from my laughing fit. "No need to be so serious Ace, Sabo. What has been done is done. It's not like I could have changed fate." I smiled, seeing Ace and Sabo return to their more happy attitudes. Suddenly, Ace looked me in the eye and grinned widely. "Want to become our brother?"


	9. Chapter 9: Revealed?

TIMESKIP YAY! So since I'm lazy and wanted to skip to the more important parts, we go to the time when Ace is about to leave to become a pirate. Think of what you want about what happened to her in the Sabo arc, she just survived it somehow. NO romance yet, just sibling love!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p><strong>9 years later<strong>

As Ace stood on the cliff, gazing out to the sea, he heard a familiar rustle of footsteps behind him. "Yukio, what's up?" I smiled._ It's just like him to notice me that fast._ "Nothing much, just felt like joining you for a nice chat before you leave tomorrow." I walked up next to him and sat down, staring out into the sea. _Should I tell him? _Silence ran between us for a few seconds. "Hey Ace, we're going to be brothers forever right?" Ace gave me a puzzled look. "What the heck are you saying, of course we are! Nothing in the world would ever change that!" I looked into his eyes. "But what if there was. Would you hate me for keeping it from you?" As I said those words, fear welled up inside of me. _What if he hates me? I've kept this from almost everyone for years now. I don't want to lose the most important people in my new life._ Ace was filled with rage by now; angry at the fact that his brother would ever think that he would hate him. "Shut up! Never say that! We…" Ace was cut off as he looked into my gold eyes. I was staring at him with the most serious look I have ever had since we met. I stood up with my back against the moonlight. "Ace…" I started to unbutton my shirt revealing my bandaged chest. "What if I told you I was a girl?"


	10. Chapter 10: Game Over

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and was torn between how Ace would react to Yukio's secret. I finally decided thanks to one of my friends' suggestions and so here we are! I tried to do a POV, not sure if it turned out well.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p><strong>Ace's POV<strong>

"What if I was a girl?" Yukio said as she revealed her bandaged chest against the moonlight. I turned red. "BAKA! Cover yourself! It's not proper for a girl to show her chest like that!" I went up to her and quickly fixed her shirt. "Besides, I kind of… already knew that….." "Wh-what? Y-you k-k-knew? How? When?" Yukio looked at me in shock and I could tell that there was also a hint of fear within her eyes. "Well… Ok, look, don't get mad. Two years ago, when you were 13, I thought you were acting strange. You got irritated easily and were always looking for Dadan, asking for bandages. I thought something was wrong, so one day I followed you into the woods. There I kind of… well, saw you wrapping your chest there." I blushed, and noticed the Yukio was too. "Luffy doesn't know about this, and I doubt anyone would guess, because I couldn't even believe myself at first. I know this may sound as an insult, but I seriously thought you were a guy up to that point." I looked down at my shoes and scratched the back of my head out of nervousness. Suddenly, Yukio started bursting out laughing. I stared at her bewildered. _How can she laugh when she just found out I knew her secret since two years ago?_ "Ahahahaha! I can't believe it! Since two years ago, I fooled you guys completely!" _There's something seriously wrong with this girl._ I thought as I sweat dropped.

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><p><strong>Yukio's POV<strong>

_Since two years ago! Wow, I can't believe it lasted that long. Well, I probably should have expected that from Ace. Look at me, all worried for nothing! I guess I should explain to Ace my little game._ I calmed down and then met face to face with a **very** confused Ace. "You see Ace, when I first met you and you mistook me for a guy, I made myself a bet, or rather, a game. I wanted to see how long I could fool you guys into thinking I was a guy. I also used this to my advantage when we were training. Since you guys didn't go easy on me like how you would towards a girl, for example protecting me from everything or not taking me seriously in a spar, I was able to grow stronger." "Well, I do admit that I would have protected you if I had know you were a girl at first, but once I realized that you were still the same, butt-kicking Yukio I grew up with, I decided to stay quite about me finding out, and treated you the same," said Ace with a nostalgic grin on his face as he looked towards the sea." I smiled at Ace, and then looked out at the sea with him. _I wonder what adventures lay beyond that horizon that I have stared so long at for almost 9 years. Too bad I have to wait another year before I can sail out and fulfill our promise to Sabo._


	11. Chapter 11: Farewell Gift

So I realized I got the ages wrong, but since I'm lazy and don't want to edit, lets just leave it at that ok? :D

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p>The next day, Luffy and I walked out to the dock to see Ace making some last-minute adjustments to the boat he bought. We walked up to him to give him our goodbyes. "Bye Ace, I hope we will meet again soon out in the ocean!" I said, as I gave him an orange hat that had two long orange side straps that met at a large medallion of a bull's skull with orange tassels and red beads on the rim along with two blue similes, one smiling and one frowning. "Wow! This is a really cool hat! Thanks Yukio! I'll treasure this forever!" Ace grinned and laughed as he put his new hat on. Next, Luffy stepped forward and said, "Ace, one day I will become the pirate king! Just you wait and see!" Ace grinned as well as Luffy, and did the most unusual thing you could think of when saying goodbye, well to normal people. They punched each others' faces. I sweat dropped, but when I got a look of their smiling faces, I started smiling as well. After Ace recovered, he reached inside his pocket and took out two small boxes. One box had a blue dragon carved on the top, while the other had a straw hat. He tossed each of us a box and said, "It's a farewell present!" As I opened my box, I was surprised to find a braided leather bracelet. It was light blue and black, and had a sapphire jewel in the center. As I took a glance at Luffy's present, I noticed that it was a bracelet of the same design, but red and black. Instead of a sapphire, it had a ruby in the center. "Now, we match!" Ace said, as he held up his own wrist revealing an orange and black bracelet with a fire opal as the center. I admired my bracelet in the sunshine. <em>The gem is almost the same color as my flame.<em>

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><p>As we watched Ace sail away, we could still see him waving to everyone on shore even when he was so far away. "Ha-hah! He's still waving!" Luffy said, while shielding his eyes from the sun to get a better look at Ace. "I guess he just loves this island so much!" I said, as I held up my arm that bore my new bracelet with my hand curled into a fist. Grinning, I yelled out to Ace "Live Ace! Live and never give up!" in the distance, I could make out Ace holding up his arm also. I smiled and said to Luffy, "Alright Luffy! One more year! Time to get stronger!" "Right!" We took off into the forest, and found our usual clearing. "One, two, three, Start!" I yelled, signaling the start of our spar. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy shouted, as he tried to punch me. I quickly dodged and saw how his punch destroyed a boulder that was behind the spot I was previously standing in. "Looks like this year is going to be interesting." I said, preparing my attack. "You bet!" said Luffy, getting into a defensive stance.<p>

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><p>A few months later, we found out that Ace had already started his own pirate crew, The Spade Pirates. "Oh wow! Ace really has made a name for himself! He's got a real pirate ship and a crew as well!" Luffy exclaimed as he read the latest newspaper. "Wow… Ace really is amazing!" I also exclaimed, reading from behind Luffy. "We can't let him beat us! Come on Luffy! Let's go training!" "Yeah!" We rushed out and followed our routine, 100 spars and then spend the rest of the day fighting the wild animals in the jungle. <em>I feel I'm turning more into a monster every day ha-ha!<em>


	12. Chapter 12: Departure

For the next couple chapters, a special guest shall appear! It might be obvious on whom it is, but I won't say who! No romance introduced yet. That is going to come later in the story. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p><strong>Few months later, Luffy Age 17, Yukio Age 17<strong>

"You guys aren't going to see us off?" I said, as I stood in the doorway with Luffy right in front of me. "Nah… If we were to come strolling down the mountain, the villagers would be scared stiff even though the chief and Makino might not mind. You guys go by yourselves!" yelled Dadan, as she sat drinking a bottle of sake. "Well, then… Thanks for everything guys!" said Luffy. "… Don't say stuff like that, you'll make me blush!" yelled one of the thieves. "Dadan! You know I hate bandits…" "Shut your face brat!" "But you guys I like!" Suddenly, Dadan burst into tears in the same way she did when Ace left. "Stop spoutin' crap and get outta here already! Dammitall!" Dadan yelled as she continued sobbing. "Dadan!" I said, "Thank you very much for all you've done for me these past 9 years!" Dadan burst into another wave of tears saying, "You better take care of yourself dammit!" I laughed as me and Luffy raced towards town. _ I really am going to miss this place. However, in order to purse my dream of the greatest adventure, I must sail out to sea!_

As Luffy got into his little rowboat, a villager yelled "Luffy! Why don't you use my old fishing boat?" Luffy looked up, and grinned. "No, I'm fine with this! This is how I'm gonna start out!" I stepped up from behind the crowd, carrying a crate of food and my luggage. "How about I take it then if you don't mind?" I asked the villager. "Sure, it's actually right next to Luffy's boat," he said as he pointed to the small boat that was around 25 feet away. The only difference between the two boats was that the fishing boat had a sail. I ran and jumped off the docks, landing safely inside the boat despite all the gasps and surprised voices behind me. _What, do they think I can't handle such a small distance?_ I set down my things inside the boat, and looked towards Luffy. Our eyes met, and we grinned. As if on cue, we both shouted to the sky. "Sabo! We're finally heading out to sea too!" "Sabo set out first!" Luffy said. "Ace set out second!" I said, eyeing my bracelet. "Yukio and I will be the third, but we aren't going to let them beat us! Right, Yukio?" "Of course! You just wait Ace! We'll catch up with you in no time!" A villager yelled at us from the dock, "What are you guys yelling and muttering to yourselves? Trying to cast some kind of good luck charm?" We both yelled back, "It isn't a charm! It's a challenge!" I hoisted my sails and turned to the crowd while Luffy sat in between his oars. "Well then, I'll be going now!" Luffy yelled. "We will miss you all!" I shouted. After a while, we were a mile or so from the village, I noticed Luffy standing up for a moment. Suddenly, the Lord of the Coast, AKA the sea king that lurked near the coast, rose from the water right in front of Luffy's boat. _Darn! He gets first dibs on the monster._ With just one punch, Luffy was able to knock out the monster. As Luffy looked out to the ocean, he shouted "All right! I'm off! I'm gonna become the Pirate King!" _I bet you will Luffy. No, I know you will._ I angled my sail and started towards a different direction than Luffy was going. _It's not like I'm going to follow Luffy in his journey. Right?_


	13. Chapter 13: Pizza?

So, here's chapter 13! I'm sorry I haven't been uploading. I'm busy with my _FIRST_ Robotics team. Also, my laptop's internet is being dumb. So, some of you might know who is this special guest.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio. The boy and Lisnor Island belong to 1337box.

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><p><em>So… bored!<em> I sat on my sailboat, waiting for some fish to bite on my line. _The one thing I hate about sailing alone is there is no one to talk to._ I had been sailing for about 3 weeks, and was heading towards the Grand Line. I had made my pirate flag just a few days before, featuring a Jolly Roger with dragon wings and surrounded by blue flames. I called myself the captain of the Dragon Slaying Pirates. Out in the distance, I noticed an island just rising above the horizon. "Land Ho!" I yelled out. Suddenly, a giant Sea King rose out from the water in front of me. "And here I was itching for a work out." I leapt from my boat, and used my flames to propel me higher so that I was level with the monster's head. _**Flaming Dragon's Talon!**_ I gave a sharp kick to the Sea King's throat. It collapsed backwards, dead. I landed safely in my boat, and took out a rope from my backpack. Tying the rope to the back of my boat, I tied the other end around the neck of the sea monster's corpse. _This will probably give me a good about of belis._

As I sailed towards the island, I noticed a delicious smell in the air. As I sniffed more, I noticed it was the smell of pizza! _I can't believe they have pizza here! I haven't had pizza in over 10 years! This day just keeps getting better and better!_ I sailed up to the docks and, despite the initial shock of the villagers, they bought the sea king meat from me for about 10,000 belis. In the back of the crowd of villagers, I noticed a boy around 18 years old. He had slightly dark skin and a black hoodie. However, the most interesting thing I noticed was that he had a headband with a slashed Kumo symbol. _That looks like a symbol from Naruto. I might have to check up on that guy later._ The boy noticed my stare and started to walk away. As a villager passed by my line of vision, the boy suddenly disappeared. I could still catch his scent, but it was hard to determine where he was with all of the people around me and the sea king, asking how I defeated such a huge thing, etc. I turned around to the nearest villager and asked, "Excuse me, what island am I on?" "You are on Lisnor Island. It is a few days journey from the Gecko Islands." "Thank you." _So, considering the time frame, Luffy must be arriving at Syrup Village, which is on the Gecko Islands._

As I explored the village, looking for the origin of the pizza smell, I noticed the same boy that I saw earlier standing in the middle of the town. Many children and even some adults were watching him. As I came closer, I heard him say "… and now, for my next trick…" _A magic show?_ I noticed him moving his hands, but I could not tell how he moved them. He placed his hands on a scroll on the ground and suddenly, a bouquet of flowers appeared. _Now this is getting suspicious. It's as if this guy just popped out of a Naruto episode._ As the show ended and the villagers left, I walked up to the boy and grabbed him by the collar. I noticed him clenching his fists, ready to punch me. However, he held back his anger. When I looked into his eyes, I noticed he had a pair of Sharingan with two tomoes each. "You… you aren't from this world are you."


	14. Chapter 14: No Shit Sherlock

Wow, one of my longest chapters yet! So, the special guest is revealed! I had loads of fun writing this chapter, and it made me want to reread the story I got the character from.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, Ezek belongs to 1337box, and I own Yukio.

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><p>I noticed him flinch, and I knew then that I hit the mark. Letting go of his collar, I sniffed him and said, "Dude! You smell like pizza! Got any on you? I'm starving!" He noticeably sweat dropped, and said "Sure, follow me. My name's Ezekiel Vane. You can call me Ezek. What's yours?" "Yukio." I followed Ezek into a restaurant, and was overcome with the smell of food. "Lisa, Lisanna! I'm back!" yelled Ezek, as he set his stuff on a nearby table. Suddenly, a small girl rushed towards Ezek and glomped his leg. "Welcome back Nii-chan!" said the small girl. <em>Cuuuute! I wish I had a younger sister like that!<em> "Ara? Who's this?" the girl asked, pointing to me. "Lisanna, it is rude to point. His name is Yukio. Now, go back up to your room. Nii-chan has some business with this person." "Okay!" As the little girl ran up the stairs, Ezek turned to face me activating his sharingan, creating a more intimidating atmosphere. "So, how did you know I'm not from this world?" His attempt at frightening was ineffective. "Well, for starters, you have the sharingan. Second of all, you are able to use jutsus. It's as if you came from a Naruto episode!" "Wait, you know about Naruto? Tell me, where did you originally come from?" "Japan." " So, let me get this straight. You got pulled into the world of One Piece too?" "Yup! And I'm guessing you came from the same world since you know that this world is One Piece. Now you tell me, how did you become able to use your chakra and ninjutsus?" "Don't know. I just was able to use them one day after I came to this world and accidently performed Kage Bushin No Jutsu. Why?" "Because, I was able to use Dragon Slaying magic when I got here too." I ignited my fist and looked into Ezek's eyes. "Somehow, my eyes turn from gold to blue whenever I use them." Releasing my flames, Ezek gave a nod, indicating that he understood. Ezek was about to say something until... "KYAAAA!"

Hearing a scream, we rushed out the door, noticing a stream of black smoke coming from the north. "Race you there!" I yelled, as I ran towards the smoke, using my flames to propel me forward. "You're on!" he yelled back, and disappeared, only to reappear a few feet in front of me. "DARN YOU AND YOUR NINJA SKILLS!" I yelled, as he was slightly yet noticeably faster than me. Arriving at the scene of the fight, we noticed a huge group of pirates in the center of town. "I win." Ezek said with a smug look on his face. "Shut up." "Make me." "Fine, the one who beats the most pirates has the other buy dinner." "You're on." With the challenge set, we jumped into the center of the group. "So Ezek-san," I called out, loud enough for all the pirates to hear, "looks like we have a bit of a rodent problem in this town. Care to help me exterminate them?" "Gladly," he said, forming a few hand seals. "Brats! You dare look down on us, the Iron Pirates?" yelled one of the many grunts. _Gajeel would eat these pirates in one sitting._ "Watch us." I said, being only heard by a few people around me and Ezek.

_**Flaming Dragon's Halo! **_I yelled, as I jumped up and landed in the middle of a group of pirates on both my hands. I separated my legs into a horizontal line, and used my arms to spin my body, while focusing my flames on my feet. As I spun, the flames around my feet created a vortex, growing larger and expanding. As I stopped, I took a quick count of how many people I knocked out. _23. Not bad._ Suddenly, another group of pirates started rushing towards me, swords ranging from two-hand to short swords drawn. _**Flaming Dragon's Roar!**_ Focusing my magic in my lungs, I blasted a stream of blue fire, scorching both the group and a few more pirates behind them. _Let's see, 23 plus 1...2...13 is… 36!_ Looking back at Ezek, I saw that he had a few more unconscious pirates around him. _Darn! Better wrap this up quick._ Taking a balanced stance, and shifting my weight to my feet, I yelled out, "_**Flaming Dragon's Rising Pillar!**_" I stomped the ground, sending flames through the earth, only for them to reappear as a giant pillar of blue flames, engulfing the rest of the pirates. "I win!" I yelled, as I noticed that there were no more pirates to beat. My legs gave out, and I face planted into the ground. Ezek hovered above me, wondering what was wrong. "HUUUUNNNGGGRRYYY!" I yelled. Ezek smiled slightly and picked my up, slinging my arm over his shoulder and wrapping his arm around my waist. I noticed him freeze slightly. _Took him long enough._ "Uh, Yukio? By any chance, do you happen to be a girl?" "No shit Sherlock."


	15. Chapter 15: Ryutaro

This chapter concludes the amazing adventures of Ezek and Yukio! Reviews and Critiques Appreciated! Any Questions? Ask Away!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio, Ezek belongs to 1337box.

Note: The disclaimer in the last chapter should be changed to the same as this one.

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><p>As I devoured a large sausage, pepperoni, ham, and bacon pizza, I snuck a glance at Ezek who was sitting next to me. He was face planted into the table, with a gloomy aura hanging around him. I caught a few strands of incoherent mumbling such as, "Girl… how could I not see… three large pizzas… my salary all gone…" I smiled, satisfied at what I had reduced Ezek into. <em>I might not eat as much as Luffy or Ace, but I can still eat about 3 times what a normal person could.<em> As I finished my last slice, a question popped into my mind. "Hey Ezek, why aren't you sailing the seas? Don't you want to become a pirate?" Ezek looked at me, surprised at first, but then his countenance changed into a warm expression. "At first I wanted to, but then I started to grow attached to this island, and I felt like I needed to protect it from harm. For example, groups of pirates try to take over this town regularly because of its reputation of having high-quality resources. The people of this town are strong, but not strong enough to deal with huge groups of pirates on a regular basis." "Hmmm… I see. Hey, I'm going to tell you a little secret." I leaned in closer, "I have lived with Luffy and Ace for around 10 years, and I kept my gender a secret from Ace for 7 years, and Luffy still doesn't know!" Ezek burst out laughing, startling all the customers. I joined in, and we laughed for a good 3 minutes. "Seriously? I mean, I know Luffy is a bit dense, but I didn't expect Ace to not notice for so long." I looked at him with a smug look on my face. "But you didn't know I was a girl either at first." "B-b-u- *sigh* True. You really do look like a guy, just with a bit of feminine looks."

We finished our talk and stepped outside. "Here." Ezek said, and summoned a katana with a blue sheath from his wristband. "I took this from one of those pirates we beat up today, and thought you would want it." I took the sword and unsheathed it. A sudden surge of power and a sense of content rush into me followed by a low rumble sound inside my head. _I guess this sword likes me. How about I name you Ryutaro_?A low hum resounded in my head followed by a pleased feeling. _I take that as a yes._ "Thanks Ezek. This is a wonderful katana. In return, I'll give you this." I reached into my bag and pulled out a bottle of ink and a pair of black, fingerless gloves. "I thought you could use the ink to make more storage scrolls, and I think these gloves would suit you." "Wow thanks Yukio I…" He was cut off as an orange ball of fur suddenly flew at his face, smacking him in the forehead. "Where the heck have you been all day? You said you were going to get me some grub, and you leave for 5 hours?" said a weird animal that looked like a cross between an otter and a weasel. I stared at him for a second until he noticed me. Giving me a glare, he asked "Who the heck are you?" a tick mark appeared on my head, and I was about to punch him square in the face until Ezek stepped in. "Now Daxter, this is Yukio. I met HER today, and found out that she is from the same dimension I came from. Also, we beat up another group of pirates today." "A girl? Dude, I think you need your eyes checked. A girl should have bigger…" BAM! I punched that annoying orange pervert in the face, my anger seething. "Man that felt good! So Ezek, I guess this is a goodbye. If you ever feel like sailing the seas, look for me in the Grand Line. I would be happy to have you as a traveling companion." I smiled, lightly punching him in the shoulder. "Sure thing Yukio!" he punched me back, smiling as well. I turned, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. _Now, time to head off! For the Grand Line!_


	16. Chapter 16: Baratie!

I like how my chapters keep getting longer and longer :D. The song is Fight Together by Namie Amuro. Also known as One Piece OP 14.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio

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><p>I stared out into the ocean, once again, bored out of my mind from sailing. I started to hum a tune, and decided to sing a few lines. Since no one could hear me, I wouldn't have to be embarrassed.<p>

_Yoru ga akeru mae ni tabidatou~_

_Mada minu ashita wo mukae ni ikou~_

_Sou kimeta koto kui wa nai~_

_(Oh I know what I'm supposed to do)~_

Singing has been one of the things I refrain from doing because when I sing, my voice takes on a girlish tone rather than the slightly boyish tone my voice uses when I talk. Keeping my gender a secret for all those years made me forget that I could now freely sing to my hearts content. On the horizon, I saw a shape floating. It vaguely resembled a fish. _Ah! I can see something in the distance!_ A breeze brushed past me, and I caught the smell of delicious food. _A restaurant! I bet this is the Baratie! I wonder if I will be able to trick Sanji._ I laughed, making a bet with myself. _I wonder if Luffy and his crew have made it there already._ As I sailed closer and closer, the familiar caravel answered my question.

Walking in, I was met with a huge, gorilla looking man with a very creepy smile and an intimidating aura. "Welcome, you squid-face brat! Pardon me kid, but do you have any money?" "Of course." I said, as I held up a couple of bills. Almost instantly, his killing intent faded. However, his creepy smile stayed the same. "Oh! Right this way dear customer!" "May I get a table by the wall over there?" I said, pointing to a part of the restaurant that Luffy was not goofing off in. "Sure!" I sat down at a table, and looked over the menu. After a few minutes, I heard a familiar voice next to me. "What would you like to order?" I looked up from the menu, and saw Sanji. I smirked, and said, "Not sure, what would the assistant head chef like to recommend?" I surprised look came across Sanji's face. "How'd you know that I wasn't a waiter?" "You just seem like the cook type, and judging from the way you care for the food, you aren't some novice." Sanji noticeably brightened. "But, not at the head chef status." I said, pointing a finger at him. Slightly annoyed, he said "Tch. Well, I would recommend the soup and steak today." "I'll get that then." "Right away sir." As he left, I immediately curled into a ball, desperately holding in all of my laughter. _He called me sir! He actually believed I was a guy! Today must be one of the best days of my life!_

Recovering, I sat up and looked out the window. An eerie fog was surrounding the restaurant. _Enter Don Krieg, stage butt kicked._ A glass shattered, and a scream sounded out through the restaurant. "It's Don Krieg's pirate ship!" The customers were panicking, and I could even hear some shouts from the cooks' area. Meanwhile, I was sitting down patiently, waiting for my food and observing the situation. I noticed Luffy, Sanji, and Zeff calmly observing the ship. Sanji and Luffy were talking to each other about something I assumed to be about how the ship was in shambles. Suddenly, the doors of the restaurant flew open, revealing a weakened Don Krieg being held up by Gin. Don was begging for food, and I noticed Sanji sneak off to the kitchen. Patty was hovering over Don, accusing him of trying to gain sympathy from them. Sanji walked out of the kitchen and then kicked Patty in the head, sending him sprawling. Holding a plate of fried rice and a bottle of rum, Sanji gave it to Don. Don quickly consumed the food while one of the chefs was explaining Don's reputation of deception to Sanji. As soon as the cook finished, Don clotheslined Sanji, sending him to the floor. "Sanji!" Both the cooks and Luffy yelled. Tying on my bandana, as to hide my eyes and hair, I went next to Sanji. "You okay man?" I said, offering a hand to help him up. "You?" he questioned, but then took my hand. I helped him up, slinging one of his arms over my shoulder. Don was, by this time, crushing Gin's shoulder, demanding that he will have the restaurant. The customers were quickly rushing out of the restaurant, heading towards their respective ships in a hurry, wanting to escape for Don Krieg's wrath. Patty was also recovering his consciousness after he got kicked by Sanji. Don was demanding meals for his 100 men, and was being supposedly menacing although I just thought he looked like a long-face baboon. Sanji suddenly slipped out of my support, and started walking to the kitchen. "Hey, where do you think you are going Sanji?" Patty yelled, once Don had finished his little demand. "To the kitchen, in order to prepare enough food for 100 people." Sanji said, without looking at Patty. Suddenly, the remaining cooks took out guns and aimed them at Sanji's head. _Oi oi oi isn't that a bit overboard?_ "We ain't letting you take one step towards the kitchen Sanji. We've had enough of your reckless actions!" yelled one of the gun-wielding cooks. I smiled, as Sanji held up his arms. "Fine, stop me if you wish. Go ahead shoot. To me, the consequences of feeding a person are all a big hassle. A cook should freely be able to feed anyone who is starving!" I was too preoccupied listening to Sanji's speech, that I didn't notice Patty sneaking up behind him. Patty swung at Sanji's head, knocking him down for a few seconds.

By this time, I was bored of watching this drabble, and snuck to the kitchen, wanting to ask where my food was. What I beheld was Zeff, cooking 100 meals by himself. "*whistle* I guess this is what you would expect from the head chef." I said, gaining Zeff's attention just as a loud boom was heard in the front. "What do you want kid, I'm busy." "Noting much, just wanted to get away from the tension out there." "I see, well if you have nothing to do, help me here." He said, as he tied a huge sack full of food. Gun shots were heard followed by screams of pain. "Sure." I hefted the bag with ease, and started to walk out the door, Zeff right behind me. Just as the now golden gorilla was finishing his rant, I plopped the bag of food in front of him. "Owner Zeff!" the cooks yelled. "You." I heard Sanji whisper. "Ara? That person looks familiar." Luffy said, and started scratching his head. "Here's food for 100 people." Zeff said, as I went back to the kitchen, looking for a quiet place to nap. I sat down on a chair and leaned back so that I was resting up on a counter. As I was about to fall asleep, I head a familiar shout. "The one who will become the Pirate King is me!" _Still going strong aren't you Luffy?_


	17. Chapter 17: Dracule Mihawk

I debated over the ending of this chapter a lot. I finally decided what to do with this chapter at school today, and I'm satisfied at how it ended up. I was also able to add a few more lines here and there, making it better in my overall opinion. So happy!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio.

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><p><strong>Yukio's POV<strong>

I was awoken from my nap by a light shaking. "Oi. What the heck are you doing here?" said Sanji. I peeked one eye open and said, "Waiting for my food of course." I grinned. Sanji smiled. "Soup and steak right?" I nodded. As I was getting up, my stomach growled. "Make that three soups and three steaks will ya?" I laughed, taking out some money. Sanji stopped me however, saying "It's on the house. You helped the old geezer after all." I smiled, "Thank you. My name is Yukio, captain and only member of the Dragon Slaying Pirates!" "Sanji, assistant head chef of the Baratie."

**Sanji's POV**

_Where did that guy go anyways?_ I walked into the kitchen, and saw a person sleeping in a chair. _Who the heck is this?_ On closer inspection, I saw that it was the one customer that helped me up earlier. _Found him. What kind of person sleeps knowing pirates are going to attack soon? _"Hrmfg…food..." mumbled the person with a smile on their face. I smiled back. _And dreams about food at a time like this. __**Badump.**_ _Huh? Why does my chest feel weird? Must be from when Patty smacked me to the ground. I'll get him for that later._ I shook the sleeping figure. "Oi. What the heck are you doing here?" An eyelid peeked open, revealing bright gold eyes. _What a nice color. _"Waiting for my food of course." I smiled, remembering how I never got to bringing this person their food because of the pirates. "Soup and steak right?" As I turned around, I heard a growl behind me. "Make that three soups and three steaks will ya?" laughed the individual as they took out some money. I stopped him. "It's on the house. You helped the old geezer after all." "Thank you. My name is Yukio, captain and only member of the Dragon Slaying Pirates!" _This person, a pirate?_ "Sanji, assistant head chef of the Baratie."

**Yukio's POV**

As Sanji cooked the food, I was amazed how precise and quick his cooking skills were. It only took him a few moments to cook up my food. I took the first bite, and was overwhelmed by how delicious it was. "AMAZING! This food is so good!" As I ate, I noticed Sanji looking at me with a pleased face. "Looks like someone can't hide their feelings when being complimented." I said, grinning. Sanji quickly turned away, a bit red in the face. "Shut up." In the distance we could hear shouting. "I guess they are coming now." said Sanji, looking at the beat up galleon. I finished the last bite and put my dishes in the sink. "Time to beat some punks!" I yelled, and ran out the doors. Even though I knew what had happened to the galleon, the sight still amazed me. The gigantic ship had been cut in half by none other than Dracule Mihawk. _Shit that man is crazy powerful. I can feel his killing intent even from here._ I was in a cold sweat, rooted to the ground by fear. A hand on my shoulder snapped me out of my frozen state. "Are you alright?" asked Sanji, a concerned look on his face. "I'm fine." I said, smiling weakly. _He's not going to buy that is he?_ Next to me, I heard Luffy. "I want her to be our navigator, no matter what!" _ I guess it would be a good time to reveal myself._ "I wouldn't go against Luffy." I said, looking at Luffy's two crewmates. "He will do anything to get what he wants. I should know." Luffy looked at me, confused at first. "Who are you?" "How mean Luffy, it has only been a month or two." I said, as I held up my bracelet. "OH! YUKIO!" Luffy yelled. "It has been a while! Good to see you!" "Who is this Luffy?" asked Zoro. "This is Yukio, my younger brother!"

"WHAT?" yelled Ussop and Zoro. "Nice to meet you!" I said, removing my bandana. "This is Ussop, our sharpshooter." Luffy said, pointing to the person with an abnormally long nose. "This is Zoro, my first mate and swordsman!" he continued, motioning to a man with short green hair. "And here is our future cook, Sanji!" "Stop counting me in your crew idiot!" yelled Sanji, as he kicked Luffy in the head. "We also have a navigator named Nami, but she went somewhere with our ship." said Luffy, unaffected by Sanji's kick. "IT'S HIM!" yelled one of Don Krieg's crew. "THE ONE WHO DESTROYED OUR FLEET!" "What? He followed us all the way here! He has come to kill us all!" yelled another pirate. I noticed Zoro tense. "I-It can't be…Is that…? The hawk-eyed man?" whispered Zoro. In the distance, I could see a small coffin-shaped ship sail towards us. It had two candles with green flames on either side of the vessel, and a cross-shaped sail. As my eyes gazed over the figure sitting on the ship, Mihawk's eyes locked with mine. A sense of panic and fear welled inside of me. Suddenly, I began to loose conscious. The last thing I remembered was Luffy looking at me worried, and Sanji rushing towards me. "YUKIO!"


	18. Chapter 18: Not Again

So, I thought about revealing what happens later on, but then thought I should reveal it now. Don't really like how short this turned out. Don't worry though, the next chapters are longer!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio and the "faint voice".

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><p><strong>Sanji's POV<strong>

"Yukio!" I yelled, as I noticed her falling. I rushed over to her side and found her unconscious. _Bastard! What did he do to Yukio?_ I stood up and looked at Hawk-eye. _I don't know why, but I'm frigging pissed off!_ Suddenly, a wave of heat and burning sensation came from my right leg. "Argh!" I yelled, as I jumped away. "Y-Yukio?" I stuttered as I saw blue flames encircle Yukio as he rose from the ground. As I took a closer look at him, I noticed that his eyes were pupil-less, and his teeth were turning into fangs. Yukio's skin began to take on a scale-like pattern and claws were forming on his hands. _What in the world? Devil Fruit powers?_ "GRAHH!" roared Yukio. I noticed Luffy tense. "Yukio! Don't loose yourself! Not again!" Luffy yelled. "Again?" I questioned. With a grim face Luffy said, "Yukio did this once before. When we found out that one of our older brothers died, he went on a rampage similar to this one and nearly burned the entire forest. The only way to stop him is to either knock him out or wait until he exhausts himself. Unfortunately, that time, we had to wait because we couldn't even get near him. The flames were too strong. After he woke up, he didn't remember anything, so we lied, saying it was a forest fire."

A low growl sounded around Yukio, and a gust of wind blew. I heard a faint voice within my head._** Save this hatchling, please.**_ The gust of wind had cleared a path through the flames. I immediately rushed towards Yukio despite the throbbing pain in my leg from the burns. _Why do I care so much for this guy? _I grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him. "Yukio! Snap out of it!" Yukio looked up. "S-S-Sanjii?" Yukio struggled to say, although I knew he was not fully conscious due to his white eyes. "GRAHHH!" Yukio shouted in pain as he clutched his head and the intensity of the flames grew. Suddenly, the flames disappeared, leaving a collapsed Yukio in its place. My legs gave and I fell to the ground. "I'll take him inside to rest." said Zeff, as he walked to Yukio from behind me and picked him up. "That child," said Mihawk. _Shit! He noticed us!_ Mihawk stared at the unconscious Yukio, contemplating something. "You do understand what this means, Red-legged Zeff." "Let us hope it doesn't come to that." Zeff said, as he carried Yukio inside.

**Zeff's POV**

_That power, this child is not from our world._ I set the brat down in one of the rooms. _Just like That Man's crew member._ I smiled, and turned to the door. "Destined for greatness along the Pirate King, a traveler comes from the other side. Cherished by others, yet harboring destruction deep within. One is the key to unlocking the light within." _Those were the last words of that person before they disappeared._


	19. Chapter 19: Persistance

Sorry I'm not uploading as often. Really busy with my FIRST Robotics team, and haven't had the time to upload. The song in this chapter is Brand New World AKA One Piece Op 6. I have a lot planned out for upcoming chapters, I just don't have the time to write them *sadface*.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other that Yukio and Ryutaro.

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><p>As I drifted in my unconscious mind, a familiar growl sounded in my head. <em><strong>Hatchling, it is time to wake up. <strong>__Ryutaro? __**Yes, it is I. Now hurry up and rise. Your companions are waiting. **__Thank you Ryu._ Stirring slightly, I opened my eyes a bit and squinted as my eyes adjusted to the light. However, instead of the sky or ceiling, I woke up to Sanji hovering over me. "GAH!" I yelled, as I punched him in the face. "OW! What was that for moron!" shouted Sanji, holding his nose. Sitting up, it took a few seconds for me to process what happened. "Ah! Sorry Sanji! Force of habit." I said, scratching the back of my head. I noticed Luffy sleeping on a bed next to me, covered in bandages. As I looked to Sanji, I noticed that he was covered in bandages as well. However, among all his cuts, I noticed that his right leg was carefully wrapped. _That must be an injury from his battle with Pearl. _Shrugging, I scooted out of my bed and walked to Luffy's bedside. I stooped down and whispered into Luffy's ear. "Luuuuffyyyy. Meat." He immediately sprung from his bed. "WHERE WHERE? MEAT! Huh? MY HAT! WHERES MY HAT?" *SMACK* "Its right next to you idiot!" I yelled. "Oh! Thanks! What happened to those pirates?" "Yeah, what happened to them?" I asked Sanji, pretending I didn't know what happened. "After Luffy beat Krieg, Gin took off with the rest of the crew. He said 'Let's meet again out on the Grand Line.'" "Cool, he said that to you?" asked Luffy. "He said that to you, you dumbass!"

I walked to the wall Ryutaro was leaning on, and strapped him to my side. After, I strolled to the balcony and took a look outside. "AH! WHERES MY BOAT!" I yelled, as I noticed that my boat with all of my food and water was gone, along with my flag. "Oh, looks like it might've sunken from all of the fighting." said Sanji. I went and sulked in the corner. "Hey, Yukio! Since you don't have a crew anymore, my offer still stands! Do you want to join my crew?" said Luffy, grinning like an idiot. "Gah! I was hoping you would forget! You know that I can't beat you and your persistence!" I said, as I was slowly creeping to the door. However, Luffy's arm caught me by the shoulder and wouldn't let go. Luffy made a puppy-dog face. Wincing, I finally gave in. "Argh! You know I can't say no to that face Luffy.*sigh* Fine, I'll join your crew." "Yosh! So Sanji you wanna…" started Luffy. "I'm not going to be a pirate. I'm going to stay here and be a cook. Until the day that old geezer acknowledges my cooking." interrupted Sanji. Luffy stared at him for a second. "Fine, I'll give up then." said Luffy, but his arm said otherwise as it was latched onto Sanji's collar. Finally getting out of Luffy's grasp, Sanji turned to him. "Hey, do you know about All Blue?" asked Sanji with one of the happiest faces I've ever seen him have. I felt my face get a bit red. _Woah woah woah! What am I getting all embarrassed for?_ Luckily, both of them were too distracted with talking to each other, that they literally forgot I was there.

After I calmed down, I snuck out of the room and started to wander around the restaurant. I ended up on a balcony overlooking where Luffy and Sanji were talking. I saw Zeff leaning over, watching them. "Talking with such a stupidly wide grin on your face… idiot." said Zeff as I walked up next to him. "Idiots with dreams may be the ones who succeed the most Zeff-sama." I said, gazing at the idiot duo as well. "True... Hey brat, you should start acting more lady-like. I bet that little womanizing eggplant will have a heart attack when he finds out you are a girl." I stared at him for a second, but then smiled. "Ha-ha! I knew I couldn't get anything to slip past you. How did you find out?" "I knew the minute I saw you brat. Also, I was the one who carried you into the restaurant after you passed out." I laughed, "I know I should act more like a girl, but I just find this game a bit amusing is all." As I finished my sentence, a bit of sadness filled my heart. "I just… don't want to be shown as a weak little girl is all." A soft breeze surrounded me. Zeff was at first surprised, but then relaxed as I started to smile. I knew that Ryu was comforting me. _I'm guessing what you want to say is that if I was weak, you would have never chosen me right?_ A low growl sounded in my head. Lifting my head up, I took a deep breath. "Thank you for this little chat Zeff-sama. I'm going to go relax on the roof now. See you later!" I jumped up and grabbed the railing of the ceiling above me. Using the momentum of my swing, I flipped onto the roof, and walked along the roof. Stopping above the door Sanji would rush out of later on, I sat down and looked out at the ocean. _I guess I was destined to sail with Luffy after all. Funny how even fate helps Luffy get what he wants sometimes._

"Time for some grub!" yelled one of the cooks. _Time for some poor plates to be broken._ I mused, as I recalled the scene where the cooks dissed Sanji's soup, and Zeff punching Sanji. As Sanji and Luffy walked into the dining area, I leaned back and started to hum. However, my humming unconsciously turned into a quiet singing.

_Hashiridase! Hashiridase! sora takaku hata kazashi ~  
>hatenai kono umi wo koete sagashi ni ikou yo ~<br>dare mo imada mitsukerarenai sekai no kiseki wo ~  
>takanaru mune omoi no mama tsuki susumu dake sa ~<br>yume oibito nokosu ashiato wo ~_

"Huh? Where's that singing coming from?" _Crap! That's Sanji! If he finds out I was the one singing, he might find out that I'm a girl! My game will be over!_ I quickly jumped down to where Sanji was. "Ah! Yukio! Do you know where that singing came from?" "Singing? What singing? I didn't hear anything." I lied, looking as confused as possible. "I guess it must've been my imagination." shrugged Sanji. In the distance, I could hear what sounded like a person drowning. However, as it got closer and closer, I noticed that it was coming from Yosaku, who was stuck inside a panda-shark, heading towards us. I leapt out of the way just as they crashed on top of Sanji and through the wall, into the dining area. Stifling my laughter, I said "L-Look g-guys, it's a m-mermaid." I couldn't hold in my laughter and started to chuckle to myself. "Yosaku! What are you doing here alone? Where are the others? What about Nami?" asked Luffy.

As Yosaku finished his brief account of what happened, I started to tie my bandana on my head again. "Ok! I don't know what's going on, but fine! Let's go!" said Luffy. "Wait." interrupted Sanji, "I'll go too. Take me with you." Luffy was silent for a few seconds. "I'll accompany you on your way to becoming the Pirate King. After all, we both have crazy dreams. So I'll tag along to fulfill mine. I'll be the cook for your ship. Sound good? Or bad?" I smiled. "Sounds great! WOOHOO!" yelled Luffy. As Luffy was dancing with Yosaku, I stepped outside. _Hey Ryutaro… Want to have a little practice run before we go beat some fishmen? __**Of course hatchling.**__ Quit calling me hatchling! __**Compared to how old I am, you are but a mere hatchling.**__ B-but… fine._ I pouted, unsheathing Ryutaro. _Are you sure you can handle my flames? __**Of course I can. I am the spirit of a dragon in this sword. Do you doubt me?**__ Of course not._ Igniting Ryu, I noticed how easily I was able to encase my flames around him. _ Any problems?__** No. Now, let me teach you some of the basic forms as well as some techniques you could use.**_


	20. Chapter 20: Momoo!

So my internet is being horrible again, and I have been really busy, but managed to get this typed and uploaded! Just in time for Valentines Day too! Hope you guys like it! I think I'll put some review responses on the bottom. Reviews, Critiques, even Suggestions are appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio and Ryutaro.

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><p>"Kid, I need to talk to you." said Zeff as I walked into the restaurant, finished with my training. "About what?" I said, walking to a seat next to Zeff and sitting down. "Do you remember anything that happened after you lost conscious?" I shook my head.<p>

"Last I remember, I was looking at Mihawk floating on the sea in his boat. Other than that, I faintly remember someone running towards me and calling my name." "I see." said Zeff, as he turned around and began to ponder something.

After a few seconds he said, "Whatever is fine then. Make sure you take care of that little eggplant." "Will do!" I chuckled. "Yukio! Time to set sail!" yelled Luffy. "Aye, Aye Captain!" I replied, tightening my grip on my backpack.

_Alright! I can do this!_ I ran out to the boat, and noticed that Sanji was yet to be on board. "Brother Cook sure is running late." said Yosaku. Just as he finished his sentence, Sanji appeared at the door. "Ah, he's here." Sanji took a few steps forward, walking through the crowd of cooks standing on the broken platform.

Everyone was silent, the only sound being the thump of Sanji's steps upon the wood. Suddenly, Patty and another man leaped behind him holding giant silverware. "This is payback for all those years!" yelled Patty. "Die, Sanji!" yelled the other man.

They closed in on Sanji, about to strike him, however he was too fast for them. In a few seconds, Sanji beat up the two cooks, leaving them sprawled on the ground.

"Told ya you can't beat him." said another cook as he kneeled over the two pummeled bodies. "Let's go." said Sanji, as he stood in front of the boat. "Just like that? What about saying goodbyes?" questioned Luffy. "It's fine." replied Sanji, without any change in his tone. _Trying to be a man eh?_

Suddenly, Zeff's voice was heard, coming from the top balcony of the restaurant. "Hey, Sanji. Don't catch a cold." said Zeff, a gentle look in his eyes. Luffy and I smiled in silence, looking up at Sanji as he froze. Tears welled up in his eyes and he shouted, "Owner Zeff!"

When he could hold his tears no longer, he turned and bowed to Zeff. "I'm eternally grateful, for taking care of me for so damn long!" he bellowed, "I shall never forget for the rest of my life…the debt that I owe you!" I noticed a few tears in Zeff's eyes.

Suddenly, Patty and the other cook that attacked Sanji earlier rose up and started yelling with tear in their eyes. "You bastard! Goddamn it! We're gonna be lonely without ya!" cried Patty. "Real lonely, you hear? You're making us cry dammit!" sobbed the other.

"Damn idiots…" mumbled Zeff, "Men should say their goodbyes silently." "Let's meet again one day! You good for nothing bastards!" promised Sanji.

Stepping into the boat, all of our crew was accounted for. "Alright! Let's set sail!" commanded Luffy. "Aye Captain!" I responded, as I angled the sail to catch the wind while the boys were busy waving at the slowly shrinking Baratie.

Concentrating on the sails, I barely paid any attention to Luffy's conversation until Yosaku asked me a question. "By the way, who are you?"

A confused face appeared on my face, but quickly disappeared as I remembered I hadn't introduced myself to Yosaku yet. "Oh! Sorry, I haven't introduced myself! My name is Yukio, and I'm this guy's…" I pulled Luffy's cheek, stretching it a good 12 inches. "Younger brother."

As I let go of Luffy's cheek, it snapped back. Yosaku was about to say something until I interrupted him. "Don't you dare call me 'Brother Yukio' or else I will beat your face inside out." Yosaku quickly shut his mouth.

"So, as I was saying," continued Luffy, "Before I left the restaurant, Owner Zeff told me that some people call the Grand Line a paradise!" _A paradise indeed, compared to the New World._ I thought to myself, once again ignoring Yosaku's rant about the dangers of the Grand Line.

Suddenly, my stomach rumbled. "Looks like you're hungry Yukio haha!" laughed Luffy. "Sanji! Can you prepare us some food?" "Sure, coming right up Captain!"

A few minutes later, we had a full table of delicious food. "Thanks Sanji!" I said, as I took a seat next to him and Luffy. As I was about to take the first bite, the water in front of our boat began to rise.

"What's that?" Luffy asked. "It's huge…" Sanji said. "AHHHHH!" yelled Yosaku. "COOL!" I yelled, as I stood up and beheld Momoo, the Sea Cow the Arlong pirates brought from the Grand Line.

"A cow! It's soooo big!" said Luffy, mouth gaping. "A cow? And it swims? Isn't that just a hippo?" asked Sanji. "Hippos aren't cows, hippos are hippos!" I said to Sanji. "What's a creature like this doing in East Blue? It's inconceivable! This is a Grand Line monster!" yelled Yosaku, who looked like he was about to pee his pants.

Momoo began to sniff at our ship, eyeing our table. "It must want the food! Hurry up and give the food before he overturns our ship!" pleaded Yosaku._ Oh hellll no. If he thinks he's gonna get our food… _"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" yelled Luffy, as he punched the sea cow in the face, sending him a good distance backwards. _…Then he gets that._

"Don't you dare touch my food!" yelled Luffy. "MOOOOOO!" cried Momoo. "I think you just made it angrier." I said. "I'll just sock him one more time then!" said Luffy, grabbing his shoulder, about to punch again. Before he was able to strike again, he was stopped by a kick from Sanji.

"You dumbass! Don't just beat up something only for being hungry! I'm sure it's injured somewhere so it can't find food on its own." argued Sanji as he made his way to the table. _My foooood! _Picking up a plate of food, he held it up to Momoo. Hesitant, Momoo carefully sniffed the food. Deciding it was safe enough, it opened its mouth. However, as Momoo was about to take a bite of the food, Sanji kicked him.

"What was that!" yelled Yosaku, shocked at the sudden change of attitude toward the beast. "That thing was about to take a bite out of me too." said Sanji. _Mood swing much? _I mused. Momoo, by this time, was now furious and started to rush towards the ship.

"Ah, it's coming to sink the ship!" yelled Yosaku. "Then I'll..." started Luffy. Interrupting him, I stuck my arm out in front of his path. "I'll take care of this!" I said to Luffy. I quickly turned around and started to run up the mast. _**Do you want my help on this?**__ No thanks Ryu. I feel like kicking this thing for trying to steal my food._

Leaping from the mast, I encased my body in flames for stability as well as used them to propel me toward Momoo. _**Flaming Dragon's Talon!**_ I yelled as I delivered a sharp kick in between the sea cow's eyes, knocking it out and backwards into the sea.

"That felt good!" I yelled as I hovered in the air, suspended by the power of my flames. I slowly descended towards the boat until I was just a few yards above the deck. I dissipated my flames and landed on the wood, bending my knees to absorb the impact. "Alright let's eat!" I said, as I sat back down the table. I grabbed the nearest meat on a bone and took a bite out of it. _Delicious!_

"W-was that a Devil Fruit power?" asked Yosaku, mouth gaping. I swallowed. "Nope! I was born with this power!" I said, smiling a bit. "Brother Yukio scary." mumbled Yosaku.

BAM! I kicked his face. "I thought I told you not to call me that." "Sorry…" murmured Yosaku as he got up slowly. "Yosaku! Give me some tea!" yelled Luffy. "C-Coming right up." Yosaku weakly said.

_Now time for a speedy getaway._ "Ah! I have an idea!" I proclaimed, as I took some rope from my backpack out. "What's that for?" questioned Sanji as I began tying the rope to the boat. "A way to get to Arlong Park faster!" I beamed, as I hoisted the sails, securing them closed.

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><p>1337box: I guess she's just the fearless type of person, and Ryu is teaching her so no worries. :D<p>

Pirate Queen ofthe 21st centry: I want his food too! I bet it's delicious!

Whitwhit1893: I took your advice as you can see. Thanks for the advice, hope you liked this chapter!


	21. Chapter 21: Regret of Betrayal

Ok, sorry for not updating for so long, but I think you guys are used to it by now. Also, anyone have any suggestions for a fishman that Yukio will face? Yes, she gets to be part of the battle too. Either PM me or put it in your review, I don't really mind. Also, REVIEW! I love to see what all of you think, don't be shy and say something! Even one word will be appreciated! Review Responses at the end!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio and Ryutaro.

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><p>"AHAHAHA!" I laughed, as we sped along the water. "Yahoo! Faster, Faster! Full speed ahead to Arlong Park!" yelled Luffy. Momoo was tied to our boat and pulling us along the ocean.<p>

_I feel kind of sad for him though. He's only working for Arlong because he's afraid of him._ Feeling generous today, I grabbed a piece of meat from the table and jumped onto Momoo's head. "Good boy Momoo! Here's a little treat for your hard work." I tossed the meat into Momoo's mouth. I noticed Momoo become happier and I smiled.

I sat down on his head and started to pat Momoo. "Don't get tired now you hippo!" Sanji said behind me as he kicked Momoo. "Don't kick the poor sea cow when he did nothing wrong!" I scolded turning to face Sanji.

"Say's the person who knocked him out in the first place!" yelled Sanji. "That was self-defense!" I responded as I jumped back to the boat, about to give Sanji's head a good punch. Sanji was about to retort, but Luffy's screaming interrupted our argument.

"Ah! I can see Arlong Park!" exclaimed Luffy, pointing to a tall building on the shore. However, we were not heading directly to the building. Rather, we were heading towards the shore a few miles right of Arlong Park.

"Hey! You're swimming the wrong way! Turn left you hippo!" shouted Sanji. "You see what you do!" I yelled, "Your kick made him unconscious, and now he's swimming on instinct!" I smacked Sanji in the head. "You…" "We're gonna crash into the shore!" interrupted Yosaku.

"AGHHH!" yelled Sanji and Yosaku, while Luffy and I just laughed. KABOOM! The force of the impact split the ropes and sent us over Momoo and into the air. "Wah!" I yelled, as the force of the collision sent me forward, right into Sanji's chest.

I blushed madly, but quickly regained my composure as our descent pulled me away from Sanji. I noticed that he was also a bit red in the face. _Blood rush? _I thought as I grabbed onto the railing next to me.

"Yahoo! It's like we're really flying!" exclaimed Luffy as he threw his arms over his head. "That's because we _were_ sent flying you idiot!" yelled Sanji as he grasped the railing.

"Ah! We are going to fall and crash into the trees!" screamed Yosaku who was holding onto the mast for dear life. "Land Ho!" I yelled. Luckily, we landed on a slope that absorbed our impact. However, we were still going down the slope at an incredibly fast pace.

As we were about to exit the forest, we saw a person with bright green hair in front of our path. "Oh! Zoro!" Luffy and I exclaimed. "Bro!" Yosaku hollered. "Luffy!" Zoro managed to say before our ship collided with him.

CRASH! Our ship hit Zoro and then flew a few more yards, only to be smashed to pieces by a small cliff. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" shouted Zoro as he held his now bleeding head.

I got out of the rubble, unharmed, and dusted myself off. Luffy was doing the same as he said, "What do you mean? We've obviously come to get Nami back. Haven't you found her yet? Where are Ussop and Johnny?"

"Ussop? Crap!" Zoro said, suddenly remembering something. "That idiot got himself caught by Arlong! If we don't hurry he'll be k…" Suddenly, a shout interrupted Zoro. "He was already killed!"

We all turned to look at the source of the voice and found Johnny, out of breath and deathly pale. "Brother Ussop was murdered by Sister Nami!"

We were silent for a moment out of shock. All of a sudden, Luffy rushed towards Johnny and grabbed him by the collar. "Say it one more time, and I swear I will kick your ass!" Luffy yelled. I held him back from hurting Johnny too much, and tried to reason with the furious Luffy.

"Luffy, stop! It's not as if he is the one at fault!" "Well he's making up bullcrap! There's no way that Nami would kill Ussop! We're nakama!" "It's fine if you don't want to believe it, but I saw it with my own eyes!" retorted Johnny.

As Luffy and Johnny were arguing, a figure rose up to our left. "Just who did you call nakama, Luffy?" "Nami…" said Luffy, releasing Johnny. A distinct scent captured my attention as Nami approached us. _I smell blood, but it seems to be… her blood? _"What did you come to this island for?" asked Nami.

In her right hand she had a bo-staff, while in her left, she had a glove. _Ah, I remember now. She stabbed her own hand to fake Ussop's death. This girl has got guts._

"What are you talking about?" replied Luffy, "Aren't we crewmates? We've come for you, of course!"

"Well, you are nothing but a nuisance. I see you even dragged a few new people into your silly pirate crew. You thought of me as one of your crewmates? Don't make me laugh. It was nothing but a stupid little cooperation."

"Don't you guys see? You have all been deceived from the beginning! I swear I saw her stabbing Ussop!" exclaimed Johnny. "So what? Would you like to avenge him?" questioned Nami.

I noticed that the smell of blood became stronger. As I looked at Nami's hand, I saw her tighten her grip slightly. _**Her regret of betrayal must be so strong that the pain doesn't even compare to the pain in her heart.**__ But I understand her point of view Ryutaro; she lost her adoptive mother at a young age to cruel pirates._

_**The loss of important ones are a terrible toll on the heart, however it is destiny that people must come and go. The only factor is **_**when**_** they leave. **_A shout brought me back from my inner conversation with Ryu.

"That's it, I've had enough of you!" yelled Zoro as he rushed at Nami, ready to cut her down. "And I've had enough of you!" shouted Sanji as he swung his leg towards Zoro's head.

Zoro quickly dodged and turned to face Sanji. "Does a swordsman harm ladies as well, Roronoa Zoro?" scoffed Sanji, with a bitter look on his face. "The hell did you say? Don't butt in when you don't know the first thing about anything!" snarled Zoro, his arms tensing, eager to slash the irritating cook.

"Heh… Aren't you quite irritable after your shameful loss." mocked Sanji. "What? Watch your mouth punk, or your head will go flying." threatened Zoro, blade nearly touching Sanji's neck.

"Oi. You guys have your fight somewhere else. We have more important matters at hand." I said, slightly irritated at their useless bickering. "What'd you say bastard?" replied Zoro, getting even more irritated.

"That's right! If you are going to fight, why not take it to some other island? I would rather not have outsiders like you people in this island's affairs any longer!" said Nami.

"Don't you get it? I only stuck around you people for the money! Now that you guys are broke, I couldn't care less about you!" Nami's voice was getting slightly higher and more desperate. "It it's about the ship, I'll give it back. So go find another navigator and search for your little One Piece or whatever!"

"Now get off of this island! You are an eyesore!" yelled Nami. "Farewell." she said, a grim look in her eyes. However, I noticed a tinge of sadness in her voice, hidden beneath all her anger.

"Nami." Luffy said, just before he fell backwards onto the ground. "Brother Luffy?" exclaimed Johnny, bemused as Luffy's sudden action. "I'm gonna sleep." stated Luffy.

Putting his arms behind his head, he shut his eyes. "Sleep? In this emergency? In the middle of the road?" screamed Yosaku, obviously panicking.

"I don't feel like leaving this island yet, and I don't really care about what's happening on this island either… and I'm sleepy. So, I'm sleeping." stated Luffy, not budging from his spot on the road.

Nami lost her cool demeanor at Luffy's sudden nonchalant attitude. "Fine, do whatever the hell you want! You can die for all I care!" stormed Nami. Nami turned and left towards Cocoyashi Village, fuming with anger.

"You are all out of your minds!" yelled Yosaku. "Sorry that it has been short, but I am afraid this is where we part everyone. We have no desire to be hunted down and killed by Arlong." said Johnny. "Farewell!" Both of them said, as they left. _Cowards._

*YAWN* _I feel kind of sleepy too, but what can I use as a pillow? The ground is too hard, Zoro is too buff, and Ussop is too scrawny. I guess that leaves Sanji._ I motioned to Sanji. "Hey, hey, Sanjiiii!" I whispered.

"What?" he asked, as he made his way over to me. "Sit next to this tree!" I grinned. "Why?" he said, raising his curly eyebrow. "Just do it!" I said, still pointing to the tree. "*Sigh* Fine, but only because I was tired of standing around." Sanji defiantly said as he sat down at the base of the tree trunk.

"Score!" I yelled, as I flopped down next to him and leaned my back on his shoulder. "What are you doing, bastard?" seethed Sanji. However, I was already fast asleep. I was tired from my earlier training and needed to recover. "Jeeze, you owe me for this you shitty bastard." mumbled Sanji.

As I sailed through my consciousness, a dreadful yet familiar smell overcame me. This smell consumed my being, and brought back my most hated memory of all. The smell… of ash.

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><p>1337box: 1. A fishman of course! The question is what kind. Even I don't know right now :D 2 &amp; 3 Who knows? XD<p>

xXHeart-plus-YukiXx: One word: Epicness! Thanks for the dramatic pause! I love Momoo too!

Whitwhit1893: Thanks!

Xdreamernumbuhfour: I felt bad for him too! So I added that little part in the beginning. Sadly, I can't do anything for the trauma, but what doesn't kill us makes us stronger!


	22. Chapter 22: Flames of the Past

BACKSTORY TIME! So, here's a little insight to Yukio's past! Not much else to say except those of you readers, please review! I really like to hear what you guys think. Yes, I'm talking to all of you who favorite this story. Tell me what you liked or disliked or what I can improve on or what you would like to see!

Disclaimer: I do not own an…. Wait, this is a backstory... I own this chapter! :D

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><p>The brightness of the flames forced me to narrow my eyes, drawing more tears that cascaded down my face. I was screaming my lungs raw, only to be drowned by the incessant roar of the flames along with the crackling of burning wood. No matter how loud I screamed, nothing changed. She didn't come back. I was helpless.<p>

The smell of ash was so pungent that for days it clung to my being and became the only scent I could smell. It became a constant reminder of that fateful day. The day, my parents died.

It was a normal day at first, the sun was shining and all seemed fine. My five-year old self was playing outside with my brothers, Kotaro, Shiro, and Kaito, while my parents were relaxing inside the house. We happily chased each other around, screaming playfully as we tried to catch one another.

As the day grew darker, we began to clean up our toys and other playthings. Suddenly, we heard a loud crash from within the house. We rushed inside, only to find a tall figure cloaked in black.

The figure was standing next to a shattered vase as well as my parents, who were badly bruised on the floor. "You better not try anything funny again or else a bullet will make its way into your head." said the cloaked figure as he held a gun towards my parents.

My brothers, sensing danger, quickly pulled me behind a nearby wall with them. We quietly watched, afraid that if we made a wrong move, he would kill us or our parents.

"How should I make this fun?" said the figure. The tone of his voice made me tremble with fear. I could practically feel the insanity and maliciousness of his mind. I accidentally let out a small yelp, but quickly shut my mouth, hoping that the man did not hear me.

Sadly, the man noticed us huddled behind the wall. He turned towards us and smiled widely. I could only see the bottom half of his face, but from what I could tell, he was quite young.

As he made his way over to us, my brothers started to run, Shiro dragging me behind him. However, I was too slow and was ripped from the hands of my brother. "Idea, idea! How about we use this little girl?" he mused as he dragged me in front of my parents.

I struggled desperately, trying to free myself from his grasp. As I resisted, I noticed that my brothers were still near the wall.

My oldest brother, Kaito, was trying to run after me, only to be held back by the other two. I didn't blame them. I knew that if Kaito were to go against this man, he would stand no chance and surely be killed.

The man held the barrel of the cold gun to my head. I shivered from the contact, from both fear and uneasiness. "I wonder what faces you will make when this kid is killed right in front of you," laughed the assailant.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, my father leapt from the ground and grabbed the man's arm. The man scowled and pushed my weakened father to the ground. "Big mistake," stated the man as he aimed his gun at my father.

BANG! A single shot was heard as the bullet bored its way through my father's head, leaving him a lifeless corpse. Tears welled from my eyes and slowly fell from my cheeks, only to be fused with the blood that had splattered on my face.

"DAD!" I screamed, as I tried even more desperately to wrench myself from the iron grip of the murderer. My brothers froze as they realized what had transpired. Angered, they abandoned their reason and rushed towards the man. "Just for that, I think I'll burn you all alive!" yelled the man, as he raised a fist.

Before I had the time to comprehend what happened, he knocked me out. I soon woke up to the smell of burning wood. My lungs were on fire, and my head was pounding. All around me were searing hot flames, blocking all of the doors and engulfing the house.

I looked to my left and found my brothers lying on the floor unconscious. In front of me, I saw the corpse of my father as well as my mom who was unconscious as well. I noticed a slight movement for her, and she slowly rose from her spot.

As she took in the scene of blood and flames, she franticly looked around until she saw that I was awake. "Yukio!" she struggled to yell, as the smoke entered her lungs. I could barely hear her over the roaring of the flames.

Suddenly, she started to cough violently. I noticed blood trickle down the side of her mouth. I ran over and kneeled close to her as she desperately tried to get up. "You and your brothers, *cough* must get out now*cough*!" said my mom as she staggered upwards and took my hand.

She led me to my brothers and shook Kaito. He jolted awake and quickly got up, scared and panicked. "Kaito, I need you*cough* to take your two brothers and *cough* Yukio outside immediately!" ordered my mom.

Although afraid, my brother nodded and quickly carried my second oldest brother, Kotaro. I decided to take action, slinging Shiro's arm over my shoulder, and turned to my mother. "I'll make an exit *cough* run outside as fast as possible and don't *cough* look back. Got it?" said my mother.

She knelt down and held my shoulders. "Be strong Yukio, and whatever happens, live and never give up." Although I was scared and sad, I nodded my head. My mother smiled at me and turned to the door.

A support beam was blockading the semi-open door, and prevented the door from opening fully. My mother limped towards the door and said, "On the *cough* count of three *cough* I want you two to run out the door *cough* as fast a possible, okay?"

My mom took her jacket that had been thrown to the ground earlier, and wrapped it around the pillar. She then grabbed the two ends of the cloth. "One, two, three!" yelled my mother as she pulled with all her might away from the door.

The pillar moved slightly, allowing a small passage enough to fit us, open. As she pulled however, the ceiling started to crumble.

We followed our mom's directions and ran out as fast as we could, not looking back. As soon as we reached the firefighters and spectators, we heard a loud crash behind us.

The building had collapsed. No matter how loud I screamed, nothing changed. She didn't come back. I was helpless.

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><p><strong>Zaralann <strong>: Thanks!

**xdreamernumbuhfour** : Glad to give a new perspective!

**Yonet**: Yes, and all in due time young one. :D

**1337box :** Thanks man!


	23. Chapter 23: The Bond of Nakama

Sorry for the slow updates. Went to a competition but sadly, we lost. Oh well! There's always next year! Was fun, but no Internet. Hope you like this chapter. Reviews and Suggestions are appreciated! Kind of lazy to put review responses, so sorry! Maybe next time :P

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio and Ryutaro.

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><p><strong>Sanji's Pov<strong>

"Hey, Hey, Sanjiiii!" whispered Yukio as he motioned to me. _What does he want now?_ "What?" I said, as I walked towards him.

"Sit next to this tree!" he said with a wide grin. "Why?" I asked, curious of the sudden request. "Just do it!" he responded, as he pointed to the tree.

I sighed and gave in to his ridiculous request. "Fine, but only because I was tired of standing around." I said, with a bit of irritation. _My new idiot captain won't be moving for quite a while, so I suppose I should rest for a bit._

As I sat down next to the tree trunk, Yukio yelled out. "Score!" he said as he fell down next to me, and leaned his back on my shoulder. I blushed slightly. "What are you doing, bastard!" I seethed.

However, as I looked back at Yukio, he was already fast asleep. _I guess I should let him rest for a while._ "Jeeze, you owe me for this you shitty bastard." I mumbled, unsure if he could still hear me.

_Why am I so nice to this guy anyway? Normally, I don't give a shit about guys. I know he has sort of a girly look to him, but he is obviously a guy. Shit, my head hurts from all this thinking._

_First my shitty captain and now this? I feel like I joined the wrong crew._ I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. As I smoked it a few times, I started to calm down. "Dad," I heard Yukio mumble.

_His dad? I guess he's dreaming about something._ I glanced down at him, and noticed tears in his eyes and a pained look on his face. I sharp sting arose in my chest; I felt like I had to do something to stop him from crying.

I reached over, and shook Yukio lightly. "Oi, wake up!" I said. When he didn't respond, I shook him harder. "Wake up!" I said louder.

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><p><strong>Yukio's POV<strong>

As I cried, curled into a ball in front of the flames, I heard a soft voice. _**"Oi…Wa...ke…up…"**_ _Who's that?_ I thought as I lifted my head.

I noticed that the burning house disappeared and I was back in my original body, tears still lingering upon my eyes.

Suddenly, the voice sounded again, but this time, slightly louder and clearer. _**"Wake up!"**_The darkness around me faded to white as I became conscious once again.

I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. I looked over my shoulder to see Sanji, a concerned look upon his face. "Are you okay?" he asked, "You were crying in your sleep." Realization hit me as I remembered. _Ah, my dream._

I wiped my eyes and looked at Sanji with a smile. "It's nothing, I was just dreaming about something in the past, no need to fret over it." I said, giving a fake laugh at the end.

I stood up and walked a few yards into the forest next to us, leaving a worried Sanji sitting by the tree.

I sat down on a nearby boulder and looked up to the sky. A soft, pained laugh escaped my lips. _How ironic that I wield fire now. _ I sighed. _I guess fate just has a grudge on me or something._ I closed my eyes for a moment.

Using my heighted sense of hearing (I got with my Dragon Slaying Magic of course.) I listened to the sounds around me. The rustle of leaves in the wind, the distant roar of the ocean, the small chatters of animals in the forest, and the cries of the birds above helped me to calm down. _Nature really is the best._ I thought as I took a deep breath. Standing up, I renewed my determination and decided to focus on more important things. _I need to buy some supplies since I lost most of my provisions._ Walking back to the group, I announced, "I'm going into town for a bit." "Don't get into any trouble." said Zoro. "I wont… maybe," I said, a smirk on my face.

As I walked through town, I made a mental check list of the supplies I would need. _Clothes, extra stash of food in case Luffy gets hungry, maybe a new bandana… I have about 100,000 beli that I have saved up. I think that's a pretty decent amount._

Off to the side of the road, I noticed a stand with various trinkets and items. Strolling over there, I browsed the goods on display until a small box had caught my eye. It was a small wooden box with a small crank on the side.

Picking it up, the merchant said, "That, dear customer, is a music box. You turn the knob on the side, and when you open it, a song plays." "Really?" I said, as I began to turn the crank. "Yes, and if I am not mistaken, the song for that box is…"

He was cut short as I opened the box, releasing a familiar tune. "Fight Together." I said, as I recalled the same song I sung only a few days before. "Correct sir. You must be very knowledgeable in the musical category!" said the man, polite sarcasm literally spilling from his mouth.

"Since you know the song so well, how about I sell it to you at a discounted price? Say, 1,000 beli?" _Rip off artist._ I thought, as I smirked. "700 beli." I haggled. "That seems very low considering the quality of this item. 900 beli."

"600."

"What? 800!"

"550."

"Urgh. Fine, 700."

I smirked once again. "400."

"Argh! 650 beli! Take it or leave it!" groaned the merchant.

"Deal." I said, as I took the money out and paid for it. _All in a day's work of haggling!_ I thought as I gently placed the box into my bag. _Now, time for some clothes._

About 10 minutes later, I was holding a bag consisting of a few t-shirts, pants, and other articles of clothing. _I have about… 75,000 beli left. Not bad if I do say so myself._

I walked out of the shop, and noticed a group of men clad in white uniforms passing by. _Marines._ I thought as I stood by the entry way. One of them shared a very close resemblance to rat.

Leading them was a man covered in scars and bore a pinwheel on the front of his hat. _Ah, _I thought, _this is the part where the corrupt marines steal Nami's money._ Deciding to follow them, I trailed behind a few feet and blended into the nearby forest.

Arriving at Nami's I set my bags down next to the house and jumped onto the roof. A few minutes passed, as I watch Nami attack the marines with her Bo staff. When the rat-like marine began to leave, three other marines stepped forward. It was when the marines held up guns aimed at Nami, Nojiko, and Gen, that I took action.

Jumping off the roof, I landed in between the two groups, facing the marines with my arms outspread. As three shots fired, one missed my head by an inch and the second grazed my cheek. However, the third one lodged itself into my shoulder, making me wince in pain.

"W-Who are you?" shouted one marine, surprised at my sudden appearance. "Me?" I asked, glaring in their direction. "I'm Yukio the Dragon Slayer, and Straw Hat Pirate." I grinned as a formed a magic circle around me.

_**Flaming Dragon's Roar!**_ I yelled, releasing a stream of fire towards the marines that burned them slightly. "Now," I started, glaring at the rest of the marines with my icy blue stare, "If you all don't want to become charcoal, I suggest you all scram and never come back." I growled.

I flashed a set of fangs at the marines, emphasizing my point. I had noticed that ever since Baratie, when ever I used my powers, fangs would grow from my teeth but disappear whenever I was not using my flames.

"R-Retreat!" yelled one of the men. As soon as they were out of sight, my strong façade faltered and I grasped my shoulder. I knelt on the ground, blood staining my shirt and dripping from my arm.

"Quickly Gen- san, we need to bring this person to Doctor!" urged Nojiko. She stooped down to help me, but I stopped her with a raised hand. "I can stand by myself." I said, slowly rising.

As we walked towards town, Nojiko walked cautiously next to me, afraid that I might collapse. She held on to the bag and backpack that I left back at the house. Gen was leading the way, while Nami was walking behind us.

When we got into town, a group of villagers swarmed Gen, Nojiko, and Nami. While they were occupied, I slipped into the small hospital. The doctor there saw my wound and quickly took me to the surgery room.

As he took out his tools, I removed my shirt, revealing my bandaged chest. The doctor was momentarily surprised, but quickly dismissed it. He then began to remove the bullet, disinfect, and stitch my wound.

Afterwards, I asked, "A girl with blue hair has my bag and backpack; would you please retrieve them for me?" "Ah, you mean Nojiko? Sure. I'll be right back." said the doctor.

After a minute, he came back and handed me my things. I went through my shopping bag and took out an orange shirt with a flame print. Finding my blue, flame patterned bandana in my bag, I realized that it fell off earlier. _When did that happen?_ I thought, trying to remember, but shrugged it off soon after.

I tied it back on, and folded the rest of my clothes then stuffed them into my bag. "Hey, Oji-san, can I leave my bag here?" I asked, but noticed that the doctor wasn't in the room anymore. I still left my bag inside, and walked outside to find Nami sitting in the middle of the road.

"Arlong!" she screamed, as she raised a dagger, plunging it into her arm. "Arlong! Arlong! Arlong!" she cried as she stabbed her arm multiple times until Luffy grabbed her wrist.

"Luffy…" she said. "What is it?" she yelled, "You don't even know the first thing about anything!" "Nope, I don't know anything." Luffy replied, nonchalantly.

"This has nothing to do with you! Didn't I already tell you to leave this island?" continued Nami, tossing dirt in Luffy's direction. "Yeah, you did, but this guy never listens." I said, walking up next to Luffy.

After a few seconds of silence, Nami spoke. "Luffy…" she whispered. "Help me." She said, tears cascading from her eyes. I watched as Luffy took of his precious straw hat, and placed it on Nami's head. Taking a few steps forward, he took a giant breath and screamed to the sky, "OF COURSE I WILL!"

Our nakama appeared out of nowhere, in cool poses I might add, down the road. "Let's go." Luffy said. "Roger." we all responded. As they began walking forward, I knelt next to Nami. "Luffy will set you free, don't worry." I said, giving a small smile.

I stood up and jogged for a little bit to catch up to the others, forming their epic line of people marching to Arlong Park. As soon as we arrived, Luffy smashed through the gates. "Who's the one, called Arlong?" questioned Luffy. "Who's this brat?" seethed Arlong. "Arlong?" he continued. "That would be my name." "I'm Luffy." "Luffy? I see…and just what the hell are you?" "A pirate."


	24. Chapter 24: Bleach! Wait, What!

Oh snaps! Where did all this writing come from? Lol, well here is the latest chapter. I also have been thinking of starting another story. However, I think I might rethink the storyline a little before I type it out and upload it. Thanks for waiting! Reviews and Suggestions appreciated! Chapter 22 and 23 review responses at end!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except Yukio, Ryu, and the villain I made.

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><p>"Hey, you, stop." said a fish man, acting all tough. "Heh heh. Where d'ya think you're going? We can't have you go through without talking to us first." said another fish man. Both tried to block Luffy's path as he walked toward Arlong. <em>Bad idea.<em>

Luffy reached up to the fish mans' heads, and slammed them together. "Move it." ordered Luffy. Arlong and the other fishmen were momentarily shocked, but then Arlong questioned, "What does a pirate want with me?" Suddenly, Luffy sent a punch straight for Arlong's face. The momentum and strength of the punch sent Arlong flying into the opposite wall.

_Nice._ I thought as I saw how far Arlong flew. "Just what the hell…" said Arlong, sitting in a pile of rubble, unscathed. "Don't you _dare_ make my navigator cry!" stated Luffy.

The anger on his face was clearly visible. The normal, happy idiot that I usually saw was now serious. "Why you…!" "How dare you!" yelled some fish man. They rushed toward Luffy. "Small fries can just get the hell back!" Sanji and I declared, kicking all the wimps away.

"Jinx! You owe me a soda!" I said, pointing at Sanji. "What are you, five?" he questioned. "Yay! Soda for me since you talked!" I cheered, ignoring him.

He turned to Luffy and said, "Jeeze, running in head-first alone like that…" "Don't worry, I ain't gonna lose!" interrupted Luffy. "Dumbass! When did I ever say I was worried for you!" retorted Sanji.

"I only meant that you shouldn't hog all the glory for yourself." said Sanji, adjusting his suit. "Yeah Luff! You aren't the only one wanting some action!" I said, hitting my fists together. "I d-don't particularly mind either w-w-way, Luffy." Stuttered Ussop, trying to act brave. "Well ain't you gutsy?" Zoro sarcastically said.

"Roronoa Zoro!" said a stingray-like fish man. "That's him! The one who tricked me! How dare he take me for a ride… no, wait. I was the one who actually gave him a ride!" said an octopus fish man. "That long-nose human is still alive!" "He should have been dead!" said some of the other fishmen.

"Pirates, huh… I see…So that's how you're all related." said Arlong, "So your goal from the very beginning, was only to get Nami, is that it? SHAHAHA! Just what could 5 measly humans do!" "You idiots!" said the octopus guy, "As if Arlong would fight the likes of you! I'll turn you all into fish food! Come out, Beast!"

Suddenly, he turned his mouth into… a trumpet? _Weird… yet kinda cool. What was that guys name, let's see… Ah, it was Hachi. _The ground started to shake. "W-w-w-what's going on?" yelled Ussop as he panicked. The water of the giant pool started to rise. "Come out, Momoo!" yelled Hachi.

SPLASH! The water cleared away to reveal Momoo, beat up and crying. "AGHHH! It's a monster!" yelled Ussop. "Huh?" said Hachi. Momoo noticed us, and froze for a minute. "Oh him?" said Luffy. "So he's one of them huh." stated Sanji. "Hi Momooooo!" I yelled, waving.

"Moo…" whined Momoo as he turned around and started swimming away. "Momoo, wait! Where're you going?" called Hachi. "Momoo… The hell do you think you're doing…" demanded Arlong, in a foreboding voice. "Well, if you are going to run away, I ain't gonna try to stop you but…Well, Momoo?" Momoo froze for a few second, but then suddenly went into a frenzied rage. "MOOOO!" it roared, charging at us.

"It's coming for us!" screamed Ussop. "Alright! Follow Momoo's lead!" "Let's show these inferior humans not to mess with us!" yelled the fish man crew. Zoro slightly drew his sword, Sanji grinned, leaning slightly back, and Ussop took out his slingshot, yelling out, "Daaaah!"

I smirked and…sat down. "What are you doing? Are you crazy?" asked Sanji. "Nope, but Luffy there is." I said, "And I do suggest you duck." "Why?" "Wait for iiitt…" "Leave it to me!" said Luffy, steam literally blowing out of his nose. "They're just a bunch of time wasters!" Luffy lifted one of his feet, and slammed it into the concrete. "Uooohhh!" screamed the fish men. They began to rush at us, weapons drawn.

Luffy slammed his other foot into the concrete. "The hell's he doing?" asked Sanji. "I don't have a good feeling about this…" said Zoro. Just as the fishmen were about to get near, Luffy twisted his body and then stretched his arms, latching onto Momoo's horns. "That's…" started Arlong. "He must be a Devil Fruit user!" yelled one of the fishmen.

"Hey, let's get out of here!" yelled Sanji. "What? But what's he doing?" yelled Zoro "Hell if I know, Just go!" replied Sanji, "Oi! Hurry up Yukio!" "Don't wanna." I said, still sitting. "GOMU GOMU NO…..PIN WHEEL" Luffy cried, as he started to swing Momoo, while I closed my eyes. _Time to test my training._

_**Now, like I taught you, sound, feel, and smell, use these to avoid any incoming attacks. Since your senses are heightened from your dragon powers, it should be fairly simple.**_ I followed Ryu's advice, calming myself and focusing on my senses. I noticed a feeling of awareness of the things around me as if I could see everything around myself.

I tilted my head to avoid a flying fish man. I leaned backwards to avoid Momoo as he sailed just a few inches above my face. However, I could sense an incoming boulder about to fall from straight above me. _Shit, I can't avoid this one._

Using the backwards motion as I leaned, I planted my hands on the ground and swung my leg upwards. I kicked the boulder, smashing it to pieces. I landed pretty gracefully, if I do say so myself, pushing off with my arms and doing a back-flip so that I stood upright. That is, until I slipped on a rock and fell face first into the ground.

"Today is just not my day," I mumbled. "I didn't come here to fight theses small fries!" yelled Luffy, "The one I want to beat up is you!" He pointed at Arlong, who grinned evilly. "How excellent." he said, "I was thinking of killing you myself just now as well."

"Seems like we have no choice but to fight." said a stingray fish man. "How dare you hurt our brethren!" exclaimed Hachi. "It looks like we need to teach these humans the differences between our races. Chu." said a… what kind of fish man was he again? "Hey, hey, can I kill them? I wanna see their blood. Can I?" said a small fish man as he popped out from behind the group. As I looked closer, I noticed that he was a sea urchin type fish man.

_Huh? I don't remember seeing that guy before. I guess he's my opponent then._ I smirked as I got up from the ground and dusted myself off. "It looks like the main force is out to meet us…" said Zoro as he gripped his katana. "That was way too dangerous!" yelled Sanji as he kicked Luffy's head. "Are you _trying_ to kill us too?" shouted Ussop.

"If this was how things were going to turn out, we would have fought from the beginning." said the stingray, "Arlong, please just sit right there." "If we let you fight while enraged that much, all of Arlong Park would end up destroyed! Chu." said the still unidentified fish man. "Yeah, it wouldn't be as much fun!" cheered the sea urchin.

"Mnnn…. Take this! Zero Field of Vision…" started Hachi as he curled into a ball. "That octopus is doing something." said Zoro. _Way to go Mr. Obvious._ "First, boil the octopus in salt water, slice it up, and add some olive oil and paprika to make an excellent side dish." listed Sanji. "Wow! That sounds yummy! Although wouldn't eating fish man count as cannibalism as they are also part 'man'?" I questioned. I turned to the boys and saw looks of pure confusion and disbelief.

"What? It's not like I'm dumb like Luff! Also, it's a legitimate question!" I protested. "Uhh guys, hear me out. I'm in a bit of a pickle." said Luffy. "Tako-Hachi Black!" yelled Hachi as he fired a river of black ink in our direction. "Octopus ink?" "Aghh!" "Whoops." "Gah!" we exclaimed as Zoro, Sanji and I dodged the blast while Luffy took it head on.

"You dumbass! Why didn't you dodge!" yelled Zoro. Suddenly, Hachi lifted a piece of a ceiling the size of a bus. "Luffy, watch out!" warned Ussop, who was actually pretty far away. "Yeah, that's the problem… I kind of can't move or see…" said Luffy. "What." "For God's sake…" "Aw fuck." "But you're the one who did that to yourself!" we shouted. "Tako-Hachi Black on the Rocks!" yelled Hachi as he brought the slab down on top of Luffy.

Luckily, Sanji and I were quick to react and destroyed the rock in a single upwards kick each. "Nice one, Sanji, Yukio." exclaimed Luffy. "Jeeze, it looks like I chose to follow a dumbass as my captain." sighed Sanji. "My feelings exactly." agreed Zoro. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." I said, grinning. "They're amazing!" shouted Ussop.

"But it's still 100 times better, than being in a pirate crew that would harm a lady." stated Sanji. _Now I REALLY want to see how he reacts when he finds out I'm a girl._ "It's better than being in any other crew in my opinion." I said.

"For a couple of humans, you are not half-bad but a pirate going around spouting chivalrous lines? How half- assed…" said the stingray. Meanwhile Ussop was trying to pull Luffy out of the concrete. Sadly, his rubber power made him stretch instead. "Still not yet." said Luffy, "My feet aren't budging one bit." "Still?" sighed Ussop as he continued to pull Luffy.

"Eh, you're only stretching it. My feet are still stuck as ever." Luffy stated casually while picking his nose. "Are you even trying?" exclaimed Ussop. "You think you can just horse around at Arlong Park?" said Hachi as he lifted another piece of rubble. "I'll kill you all!" "Ahh! Hurry up and get your feet out already!" shouted Ussop as he panicked and stretched Luffy even farther away from his feet.

"Hey, octopus, those guys are busy right now." said Zoro from behind Hachi. "Why don't you play with me instead?" "Nyu! Roranoa Zoro! I forgot! How dare you deceive me before!" roared Hachi as he turned and slammed the concrete in Zoro's direction. Luckily he had dodged.

"Not only that, you cut down my brethren!" fumed Hachi. "I don't care about ancient history. It doesn't matter for what reason you want to kill me… The situation is different now. You guys aren't going to be doing the killing. It's _us_ who are going to be killing _you_!" stated Zoro, drawing his katana with a smirk on his face.

"Eh…" started the sea urchin. "But I really want to see human blood." _What is with this kid?_ I thought, as I dusted the leg of my pants. Meanwhile, I noticed Ussop letting Luffy go, sending Luffy flinging into that what-cha-ma-call-it fish man. The fish man then got angry and started to chase Ussop away from Arlong Park.

As I watched Ussop run away, I heard a loud crack behind me. Turning around, I saw Arlong holding Luffy, who was now stuck in a huge block of cement, over his head. "Why don't we play this game?" asked Arlong, sick humor streaming from his voice. "Devil Fruit users are said to be unable to swim. Well, in this situation, even a non-Devil Fruit user wouldn't be able to swim! Shahahaha!"

"Don't tell me… He's gonna throw him into the sea?" exclaimed Zoro. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" cried Luffy as he swung a punch at Arlong's face. However, Arlong countered by biting Luffy's arm. Luffy retaliated by biting Arlong's arm. _That can't be sanitary. Oh wait, I forgot about saving Luffy!_ I mentally face-palmed as I started to run forward.

I was too late however, as Arlong threw Luffy into the ocean. "Luffy!" yelled Sanji, "You bastard! I'll go s…" "Wait, you dumbass!" I interrupted. "The sea is their territory. Going into the ocean is exactly what they want!" "Yukio is right. There's only one way to save Luffy now." said Zoro. "You mean we have to beat these guys to a pulp on land first then jump into the sea?" said Sanji. "Bingo." I replied, "Now let's do this!"

I stepped into a ready stance, and faced the sea urchin fish man. "I presume you have a name, kid?" I asked. "Uni. What bout you Nii-san?" said Uni as he stuck his hands in his pockets. _How fitting._ "Yukio. Now, how about we take this fight somewhere a bit more… scenic." I said. I leapt onto the roof and saw the boy do the same.

"Good idea Nii-san! Now when I kill you, it will rain blood below!" Uni said with a devilish grin on his face. "_**Needle Shot.**_" said Uni as spines detached from his body and fired towards my direction. "Woah!" I exclaimed as I dodged to the left. "Hm, you may be young, but if you are in Arlong's crew you are no wimp." I smirked. "Now, I give you the honor of being the first one I cut down with Ryutaro."

I drew Ryu from his sheath, and engulfed him in my flames. "_**Moon of the Flaming Dragon**_" I said as I slashed in a downwards motion. The flames from the sword sprung forward and created a blue crescent moon shape as they rushed in the direction of Uni. _Who says Bleach never taught anyone anything?_ The wave collided into a wall, and debris scattered everywhere. I raised an eyebrow as I noticed that the kid wasn't there anymore. _Where is he?_ I closed my eyes and sniffed the air, searching for the putrid smell of the fish man. "There!" I exclaimed as I sent another wave of flames to my right, towards a boulder that had fallen from a story above us.

"Kufufu… Lucky shot!" exclaimed Uni as he leapt from his hiding spot and into the air. "_**Needle Lance!**_" he exclaimed as he held out his hands. From them, two gigantic needles sprung and sailed towards me. "_**Flaming Dragon's Talon!**_" I said as I jumped up and kicked the needles away. Sadly, one of the needles was able to scratch me on my right leg. "You've gotta do better than that kid!" I shouted as I landed back on the roof, putting a little more weight on my left leg.

However, as I stood there, I felt my right leg begin to stiffen. "Wha..." I began, but was interrupted by Uni's laughter. "Kufufu! You thought that the needles were my only weapon? Inside my needles is potent paralyzing venom that will freeze your muscles instantly! It will soon spread throughout your whole body in a matter of minutes! Don't worry, it doesn't affect anything vital, and will go away in an hour or so." stated Uni triumphantly. "That is, if you live that long!"

Uni rushed at me again, this time, using a very long needle as a sword. He lunged at me, cutting my shoulder as I dodged. _Shit, more of that venom?_ My arm now began to freeze up, blood flowing from the fresh wound. I spun around to face the kid as he landed a few feet away. "Slaughter! ~ Slaughter! ~" he began to sing. He brought the needle closer to him and _licked_ the blood from the edge. _This kid is beyond crazy! _I pushed myself forward and aimed a kick to his side. He immediately dodged and landed a blow on my left cheek with the hilt of his needle blade. I glared at him. Swinging Ryu, I was able to cut him across the chest, although it was not very deep.

He gave another laugh as he brought another blade out. "Kufufufu! Now, time to end this with a storm of blood!" he exclaimed. He leapt into the air and aimed both of his swords at me, intending to end it. I couldn't move as freely as I wanted to, and knew I would not be able to dodge it. "I've had enough of you." I growled. "_**Flaming Dragon's Rising Blade!**_" I yelled as I stuck Ryu into the roof. The flames flowed from Ryu, through the structure, and then burst forth underneath Uni in the form of a blade. "_**Allow me little one.**_" said Ryu. I noticed a whirlwind surround the flaming blade, feeding its need of oxygen. The intensity of the flames increased and finally impaled Uni, causing a large wound in his left shoulder.

Uni fell to the ground below, unconscious and bleeding. "Be lucky that my flames are not meant for killing." I said as I leapt to the ground. _Ryu, if you will, could you soften the impact with your winds? __**Gladly.**_ Soon after, a swirl of gentle winds arose beneath me, setting me down gently on the ground below. However, the venom from Uni left me barely able to stand as I kneeled on the ground. I sheathed Ryu stood up, slowly limping my way towards the rest of the guys.

"Yo." I said, "I say have you seen any raining unconscious fish men?" "Idiot." said Zoro. "Kuroobi…Hachi… Uni…" said Arlong. _So that was that other guy's name. _"Small fries will be small fries. Looks like this game is ours for the taking." said Sanji. "How dare you do this to my brethren… But you're getting too cocky if you think you've already won!" glared Arlong, malice flowing from his words. "Hey, what did you mean when you said that Luffy was half-fine?" inquired Zoro. "It means he won't die for the time being, but I still have to make one more trip down to the ocean floor." He narrowed his eyes. "However, it seems like he's not going to let us." replied Sanji. Arlong stooped down next to the pool and scooped a handful of water.

_I feel this is going to get bad._ "Sanji! Watch out!" I yelled, but was too late as Arlong threw the water at all three of us. Let me tell you, that water really _did_ feel like a shotgun, knocking the wind out of me. I fell backwards onto the ground and struggled to get back up, coughing blood. The venom wasn't making this any better, as my left leg now began to feel stiff as well as my other arm. To my right, I could see Zoro was down as well as Sanji to my left.

_God dammit! _Suddenly, Sanji began to move and stood up. He coughed up more blood than what I did, making me notice just how severely injured he was. "I don't even need to touch you pathetic humans." said Arlong, as he grabbed another handful of water. "Just a bit of water is more than enough to kill the likes of you… This is the difference in power between our races." "Shut the hell up!" exclaimed Sanji. "_**Poitrine Shot!**_" Sanji swung a kick aiming for Arlong's chest.

However, Arlong dodged and threw another handful of water at Sanji, sending him crashing into the ground coughing blood. "Hurry up and die already. It's not as if your lives are actually worth anything…" Arlong said. _Shit!_ I pushed myself off the ground with all my strength and braced myself. "_**Flaming Dragon's Roar!**_" A magic circle sprung onto the ground as I let out a stream of fire. _Damn, it's too weak!_ I thought as the fire collided with Arlong. I felt another drain of magic and knew that that was the last big attack I could muster for now.

He appeared unharmed though, as the smoke cleared. "Shahaha! You call that an attack! I'm beginning to doubt that it was you who took down Uni." laughed Arlong. He strode forward and kicked me in the stomach, sending me flying and crashing into the gate walls. "Arlong!" I heard Nami scream from the gate opening to my right. "Nami…" Arlong began, "Great timing. I was just about to kill these pirates. So what brings you here?"

"I came here… To kill you!" announced Nami as she gripped her Bo staff.

**Notes: Uni is Urchin in Japanese and Poitrine is Chest in French.**

**PS. Anyone get Uni's laugh reference? Comment in a review if you did and get a hypothetical cookie!**

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><p><strong>Yonet: <strong>Sadly, most likely yes. Although she misses them, she knows they are fine since they are the idiot brothers she knows and loves.

**1337box:** Dark and scary? Ok then, although I though it of more as sad and heart wrenching. Thanks for the praise though!

**Jamin1227: **Thanks, and I hope I do too!

**Xdreamernumbuhfour: **Thanks for the welcome back! I'm glad it was easy to get back to after so long. Thanks for the support for so long! Also, thanks for all the reviews!


	25. Chapter 25: Family

Yo everyone! Here's another chapter! Tell what you liked or didn't like in the reviews! Any suggestions or comments are appreciated! They even motivate me to keep writing! Review Responses at the end!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio and Ryuutaro.

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><p>"To kill me? Shahahaha! In the eight years you've been with me, how many times have you tried to kill me?" Arlong questioned as he narrowed his eyes. "Whether by assassination, poisoning, or surprise attacks… But did you ever succeed? Shouldn't you know well by now that it's impossible for inferior humans to kill me?" shouted Arlong. "Listen well Nami, I'm not going to kill you… and I won't let you escape either… I'll have you be my cartographer forever! But as you know, I'm an understanding guy! I don't want to chain down a young woman if possible." He held his arms out.<p>

"That is why I'd rather have you be my cartographer out of your own will. Other than you, I'm planning to kill everyone here right now but… if you agree to join the Arlong Pirates again, and continue drawing maps as one of my crew officers, I'll specifically allow for the lives of the Cocoyashi Villagers to be spared!" Arlong strode over to Sanji and kicked him. "I can't say the same for these guys however… They've pissed me off too much." He looked back at Nami. "So which will you choose? Are you with me? Or them?"  
>Nami turned around to look at the villagers. "I'm sorry everyone!" she yelled, "But would you please die with me?" She sounded sad, yet a bit of hope could be heard in her voice. "ALRIGHT!" they yelled together, determined to take action against Arlong. I smirked a bit from my crater. "I see… so you choose to all die." said Arlong. Suddenly, a giant stream of water shot out near the gate that lead to the ocean. <em>Enter Luffy, stage left.<em> "It worked! Now all we have to do is free his legs!" said Sanji. I crawled out of the rubble and slowly made my way to the others. "30 seconds! I won't last any longer than that." said Zoro as he placed his katana in his mouth. "That's more than enough time I need!" said Sanji as he jumped into the water.

"There shouldn't be a fountain over there…" said Arlong. "Which means that rubber brat is…!" A cut on Arlong's cheek interrupted him. "Don't pay heed to that. It's nothing at all you half-fish mutant!" said Zoro.

I limped to the water's edge and stared into the deep blue. _If I jump in to help, who knows if the venom will allow me to swim for long?_ _I may be fine now, but I can't be too sure. Dammit! If only I…_ I shook my head in frustration._ No! What's done is done. I can't complain. I can only hope that Sanji makes it before too much damage is done. _  
>"Yukio! Watch out!" I heard Zoro yell, snapping me put of my thoughts. Before I could realize what Zoro was warning me about, a giant shadow loomed over me. However, I had noticed a moment too late. I tried to turn, but the venom restricted my movements and slowed me down. "I won't let you bastards have your way! I'll kill your friend who went into the sea, as well as this one!" Hachi yelled. Hachi had taken two swords lying on the ground, and slashed at my exposed back. Searing pain invaded my body as I could feel the warm blood flow from the cuts.<p>

I crumbled to the side, but was able to grab Hachi's leg before he could jump into the water. "I-I won't let you! I won't let you get in Sanji's way!" I gasped, blood dripping from my mouth. I used whatever power I had left to burn Hachi's ankle. "Ow!" said Hachi, as he kicked me with his free leg. I held on still, trying with all my might to delay him for even a second longer. The second kick was even more powerful, and I lost my grip. I was sent flying and skidded to a stop a few feet away just as Hachi dove into the water. I struggled to stay conscious as I was loosing blood quickly. By this point I was unable to move as the venom had reached its peak, immobilizing me completely. I could do nothing stanch the bleeding. My vision began to blur and I scowled. Finally, everything faded to black. The last thing I heard was the distant yell of Luffy, "I'm back!"

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><p>When I awoke, I heard Luffy shout "Nami! You're my Nakama! Got it!" Arlong Park was in pieces and Luffy was standing on top of the rubble. "Arlong Park has fallen!" cheered the villagers. They took the flag of the Arlong Pirates and raced across the island, alerting everyone of their freedom. I slowly got up, trying not to reopen my wounds, but winced as I could feel a few beginning to bleed again.<br>I noticed that the mouse looking Marine had come back, spouting nonsense about him getting all of Arlong's money and the credit for defeating him. I strode over to the man and gave a sharp punch in the face. "Shut up." I growled. I began to kick him, and soon the others joined in. After the beating was over, I walked slowly to the doctor.  
>"Mind stitching me up Doc?" I gave a weak smile. The doctor's smile turned serious as he saw my face and let me lean on his shoulder, leading me back into town. I could see that Zoro was also being helped behind me, fresh blood streaming from the huge cut along his chest.<br>The doctor brought me into a separate room and gently laid me face-down. He went into another room for a few moments, and brought a tray with surgical tools and some pills. "Sleeping pills," he said as he poured a glass of water. I nodded and he helped me drink them. Soon after, my eyes began to feel heavy, and I relaxed into a deep sleep.

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><p>As I opened my eyes, I noticed that it was night time. I had bandages wrapped around my upper half. When I moved to sit up, I felt a bit of stiffness in my back, which made me remember that I just got stitches. "Don't get up too fast." said the doctor, who strode into the room. I ran a hand through my hair and asked, "Anyone found out about my 'secret'?" "No, all of your friends were treated in a different room. No one was allowed in here afterwards." I nodded and watched as the doctor took some bandages from a nearby shelf. "I'm not going to pry into your matters, but since you are awake, let us change your bandages and then you can go outside. You and your friends helped us free the island, and a huge party is going on outside."<br>As the doctor unraveled my bandages, the cold air stung my back. I hissed slightly at the sudden drop in temperature. When I glanced behind me, I noticed there was a mirror. On my back, I could see the X-shaped stitches that stretched from either side of my neck to both sides of my waist. Luckily, the cuts missed the tattoos on my back. I had two small tattoos of dragon wings on my shoulder blades. Both of them were blue with black outlines.  
>"You were lucky kid, if it wasn't for the bandages you had on before, you might have severed a nerve or two." said the doctor as he applied some ointment. When he finished wrapping my bandages, I gave a short thank you and retrieved my things from his office, avoiding the other room I thought Zoro would be resting in. I slipped on a light blue shirt this time and retrieved my bandanna from my backpack, tying it around my wrist. <em>Now, WHERE'S THE FOOD!<em>

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><p><strong>Sanji's POV<strong>  
>"Hey! Sanji! Was there something on that last melon you ate just now!" asked Luffy who was holding tons of meat as well as eating one. "Yeah, it was a melon with raw ham called 'Raw Ham Melon'" I answered as I took out a cigarette and lit it. "Raw Ham Melon! Where'd you get it?" "Not sure, since there's food put out everywhere for all the villagers. Must've picked it up from somewhere…" I answered. "Then I'll go find it!" said Luffy as he ran off to who knows where. "Oi, Ero-cook." said Zoro. "What shitty- swordsman." I replied, irritated.<br>"While you were underwater, Yukio took a few hits for you even when he had gotten a serious injury from that octopus guy," stated Zoro as he took a gulp of beer. My chest hurt a bit at the thought. "You saw that burn on that guy's leg right? That was when Yukio held onto him saying stuff like, 'I won't let you get in Sanji's way' even when he was getting kicked." I stared at the floor for a bit. "Thanks for the info, you shitty-swordsman," I said as I walked away. "Now, it's time to flirt with the ladies!" I exclaimed however, my mind was somewhere else. _Dammit, shitty bastard. You didn't have to do that,_ getting hurt for my sake. I thought as I walked throughout the festivities.  
>As I was walking, I saw a big crowd around a stack of tables. "It is I, Captain Ussop!" yelled Ussop from the top. "And it is I, Dragon Slaying Pirate Yukio!" said Yukio as he jumped on the tables and joined the show. He was wearing a light blue shirt now, and had his light blue bandanna on his left wrist.<p>

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><p><strong>Yukio's POV<strong>  
>"And it is I, Dragon Slaying Pirate Yukio!" I exclaimed as I jumped atop the tables. "And I will be stealing this show!" The villager's laughed, and I grinned. "You sir!" I pointed to a man near a standing torch. "Could you light a torch and toss it here?" The man complied and threw the torch. I caught it and announced, "Now, for my first trick, I will eat fire!" <em>It's the perfect way to entertain and regain some of my power.<em> "Really?" yelled one of the villagers. "Yes! Now, would you all count to three?" I asked. When the villagers finally reached three, I absorbed the flames, eating it graciously. I felt some of my magic return.  
>"Thanks for the meal!" I exclaimed, patting my stomach. "Awesome!" yelled some of the villagers while others cheered. <em>I'm still hungry though, where's the meat?<em> I noticed Sanji near the crowd and decided to join him for the evening. I jumped down and landed in front of Sanji, using my flames to slow my descent as to not reopen my wounds. "Yo!" I greeted, raising a hand and smiled. "Yo. Nice show you put. Did you really eat fire?" "Yup! Came with the powers I was born with!" I grinned. "What does fire even taste like?" asked Sanji. I stood and thought for a moment. "It tasted pretty good, although it wasn't nearly as delicious as your cooking. It has a unique taste, I can't really explain it." I shrugged.  
>I grabbed a piece of meat from a passing table. I took a bite out of it, but noticed that Sanji had a confused look on his face as he looked at me. "What?" I asked as I chewed. "When did you have fangs?" replied Sanji. "What?" I swallowed and then took out my small knife from my backpack and used it as a mirror. <em>Cool! They stay fangs even when I don't use my powers! <em>"I guess starting now." I smiled. I placed my knife back and slung by bag over my shoulder.  
>"Ah! Where'd my meat go!" I said as I looked for my half eaten piece of meat. Soon after, I gave up and assumed Luffy had taken it. "Oh well. Come on Sanji! I saw that they had some game booths set up over there!" I grabbed Sanji's hand and dragged him in the direction of the games.<br>Then next day, we were preparing for departure on the Going Merry. _I must say, it really is bigger than it seems on the screen._ I thought as I climbed aboard. I looked around for a bit, and spotted the crow's nest on the main mast. I climbed to the top, and set my things down. "I claim this spot as mine!" I exclaimed as I looked below, spotting everyone near the end of the ship. I went back to my things and took out the music box from my bag. _I'll save this for tonight when everyone is asleep. _  
>"Set sail!" I heard Nami shout from the pier. I saw her start running, and decided to follow her orders. She is our navigator after all. I put the box in my pocket. "Raise the sails!" exclaimed Luffy. I jumped from the crows nest and unfurled the sails, securing them to the mast. After, I strode next to Luffy and Sanji. "You sure it's okay to let her leave like this?" asked Sanji. "It's her goodbye so let's let her decide." replied Luffy.<br>Nami ran through the crowd, jumped off the pier and onto the ship. After a pause, she lifted her shirt a few inches, releasing about 50 wallets onto the ground. "Take care everyone!" she said as she held a bill and grinned. "You rotten little thief!" exclaimed the villagers. I clapped, impressed by her pick-pocketing skills. When that was over, I climbed back up into the crows nest and closed my eyes. _No harm in a small nap._

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><p>As I opened my eyes, I was met with a beautiful starry sky. I stood up and noticed that I had a blanket draped over me. <em>Who put this on me?<em> I folded the blanket and made a mental note to find out later. I peeked over the edge of the crows nest, and looked for any signs of the crew. _Hm… No one from what I can see. I better keep quite though, just for safe measure._ I sat back down and took out the music box. _I had forgotten how fun it was to sing._  
>I turned the crank on the music box, and opened the lid. The soft melody began playing, inciting me to hum along with it. Images of my previous life flashed through my mind. They reminded me of all the fun times I had with my brothers, arguing over which One Piece character was strongest. We also liked to recreate their moves, trying to incorporate our own styles into them. I laughed as I remembered the time when Kaito hurt his hand trying to punch a tree in half. He had tried to use Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Pistol.<br>However, images of the times I spent with Luffy, Ace, and Sabo soon followed. My eyes began to water as I remembered the fun times I had with both groups of brothers. _It would be pretty interesting to see all of then together._ I thought, and laughed softly. _All hell would break loose._ As the music of the box died out, I took a deep breath and wiped the tears away. _I bet they would be jealous if they found out I am sailing with the real Straw Hat crew. No one can replace my true family, but these guys are a close second._  
>I put the box back in my pocket. As soon as I stood up, I hear a door creak open. I looked over the crow's nest and saw Sanji walking out of the kitchen. <em>Hehe… Time for a little prank.<em> I thought as a mischievous grin made its way to my face. I created a few floating fireballs, making them look like those will-o-wisps that people say appear in graveyards. I slowly made then float down towards Sanji. I began to make ghost noises, projecting my voice with my hands in a different direction. I noticed him tense a bit, and I had another plan.  
>I strapped Ryu to my waist and leapt out of the crows nest. As I landed right in front of Sanji, I made a scary face. "BOO!" "Wah!" he yelled slightly, although not loud enough to wake the crew. He stumbled backwards and landed on his butt. I tried so hard not to burst out laughing, holding my stomach and covering my mouth. "Yukio, What the hell!" whispered Sanji as he got back up. "S-Sorry S-Sanji…" I managed to say in between soft laughs, "But you should have seen your face!"<br>Sanji sighed and took out a cigarette. "Jeeze, and here I was, nice enough to give you a blanket." I noticed him rummaging around for his lighter. I raised a finger and directed one of the smaller fireballs toward Sanji. "Need a light?" I said as I smiled. I made the fireball as small as a penny, and directed it just under Sanji's cigarette. "Thanks." he said as he took a puff. "No, thank you for giving me the blanket." I replied as I leaned against a wall.  
>"Yukio, were you, crying?" asked Sanji as he looked at me. I looked at him, surprised. "*Sigh* How'd you know?" I said weakly as I looked at the floor. "Your eyes are slightly red." replied Sanji. "Figures." I said as I looked up at the sky. "Just remembering some things." "Wanna talk about it?" he said. I stared at him confusingly. "What?" he asked. "Nothing. It's fine anyways. The past is the past." I said as I pushed myself away from the wall.<br>I looked at the horizon and noticed the sun was beginning to rise. "Another day, another adventure lies ahead." I said. "…Wait. How long was I asleep!" I turned towards Sanji. "The whole day," he said. I stared at him for a moment. "You do realize I haven't eaten for a whole day." I said. "Yup." "You do realize that I eat around half of what Luffy eats right?" "You do, now?" he smirked as he got up and walked in front of the kitchen. "Yes, and you do realize that I will murder someone if I don't get food now?" I replied as I followed him. "Is that so? Well, we wouldn't want that now would we?" he said as he opened the door, revealing a whole buffet of food.  
>I grinned and patted his shoulder. "Glad we had this conversation." I said. I sat down at the table. "Itadakimasu!" I said as I began to devour the food. I may be half the eating machine as Luffy, but I do have manners. Within twenty minutes I had finished the food, leaving some for Luffy and the others, and wiped my mouth. "Gochisōsama-deshita" I said as I stood up and began to pick up the empty dishes. "Ah, Yukio you don't need to do that." said Sanji as he took the dishes from my hand. I pouted. "No, I <em>want<em> to. You do so much already for the crew. It's the least I can do." I took the dishes back and took them to the sink.  
>"*Sigh* Fine, but let me help you." replied Sanji as he took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. I began to wash the dishes alongside Sanji, him washing and me drying as well as placing them back in the cabinets. As soon as we were done, I heard footsteps rushing towards the kitchen. "Sanji! Food!" yelled Luffy as he rushed into the kitchen. "Morning Luff!" I said as I waved. "Oh, Yukio! Morning! Are you here for breakfast too?" "I just finished." "What? Sanji, how come Yukio gets to eat first?" pouted Luffy. "First come, first serve Luff." I said as I made my way to the door.<br>On my way out, I ran into Zoro, and I mean literally ran into him. "Ah, sorry Zoro!" I said as I took a step back. "*Yawn* Huh? Oh, morning Yukio. What's up?" before I could answer, I hear Ryu in the back of my head. _**Hatchling, I would like to ask a favor.**__ Sure. What do you need? __**I would like to talk with that swordsman's sword. Would you mind asking him if he could relinquish it for a few minutes? **__Sure, but it might be difficult._ "Um, Zoro. Could I ask you a favor?" Zoro raised his eyebrow. "Sure, what?" "Could I borrow your sword for a few minutes?" "What for?" he asked, eyeing my own blade. "Well… this guy here wants to uh… talk to them I guess?" I placed my hand on Ryu's hilt. _I bet he thinks I'm crazy now._  
>After a few seconds, Zoro spoke up. "Sure." he said as he removed his katana. "But stay close in case I need it." I looked at him in disbelief. <em>THE Roronoa Zoro, letting me borrow his katana? Is the world ending or something?<em> He handed me his sword, and I took it, holding it carefully with both arms. "T-Thanks." I said. I walked to the main mast, unstrapped Ryu, and sat down. _Here you go Ryu. Now do I just place it next to you or something? _I laid both swords next to the mast._**Yes, that is fine. Now if you will excuse me. **__Ok then. Talk to you later._  
>A few minutes later, Luffy walked out of the kitchen. He was patting his stomach which was bulging with food. "Hey Luffy! Want to have a little spar?" I asked from under the mast. "Sure!" he said as he jogged over. I untied my bandanna from my wrist and transferred it to my head. "Straight brawl, no powers. First one's knees to the ground?" I asked, taking a balanced stance. "Ok!" grinned Luffy as he cracked his knuckles. At this point, the rest of the crew was out on the deck, finished with their breakfast.<br>"Ready….START!" I yelled. As soon as the words left my mouth, Luffy rushed towards me, aiming to punch my face. I quickly dodged to my right and aimed for a left kick on Luffy's right rib. Luffy jumped backwards, and rushed again for my exposed back. I jumped upwards and back-flipped over Luffy, to much discomfort of my stiff wounds. Ignoring the awkward feeling, I landed and made a sweeping kick for Luffy's legs. He jumped in response, and swung his leg backwards.  
>I crouched lower to the ground to avoid it, and then leapt up to swing a kick towards his head. He blocked it with his arm and pushed my leg away. I jumped backwards to get some distance, then ran at Luffy again. Jumping up, I brought my leg into a downwards kick, only to meet the wooden floor as Luffy dodged to his right. He swung a punch at me, but I leaned backwards and used the momentum to catch his fist with my foot, and brought it to the floor. I spun my body around and aimed for another kick to Luffy's head.<br>Sadly, he ducked this time and swept his leg under me. I couldn't regain my balance in time and tripped forward. My knees hit the floor and I sighed. "Winner: Luffy." I said unwillingly. I sat on the floor and removed my bandana, tying it to my wrist once again. "Wow Yukio! You can match up to Luffy?" exclaimed Ussop. "What do you mean match up? He was totally going easy on me." I said, sighing and running my fingers through my hair. "That's not true Yukio, you've gotten better!" exclaimed Luffy as he held out a hand. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up. "Really? Thanks Luff! I'll land a hit on you sooner or later. You better watch out." I said as I gave him a high-five. "Sure!" I climbed back into the crows nest, and sat down. _Phew, all of that exercise after eating was tiring. A quick nap should do._

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><p>xdreamernumbuhfour : Thanks. Hope he wan't too boring or anything.<p>

xXHeart-plus-YukiXx: Thanks for the critique. Well, you have to remember that she hasn't rested since Baratie and she used up alot of magic there. I actually had the fight much shorter originally. I hated it after a while and extended it. Lol. I'll keep your suggestions in mind. Not sure if I put them to good use in this chapter :D

WhiteDragon95: Thanks, and I'll try!


	26. Chapter 26: Busted

So, sorry about the long wait. But remember, I did say that this would be spontaneously updated. Schools over and I get bored easily, but it doesn't mean more updates. Right now, I don't feel as motivated to write. So, Review and input your suggestions! Also, I have started a new story in collaboration with some of my friends. It is a ½ Prince story, and you should check it out, or check out ½ Prince if you don't know it, I really like it. Anywho, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio and Ryutaro.

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><p>I was about to fall asleep until I heard everyone scream followed by Luffy laughing below. "Nahahaha! Looks like we're wanted men now! It says 30 million beli!" said Luffy as he held up his wanted poster. I jumped down again and smiled, taking a look at the piece of paper. As I looked away, a second paper sticking from the newspaper Nami dropped caught my eye.<p>

I stooped over and picked it up. A wide grin quickly formed on my face as I stared at the piece of paper. "Look everyone! I got a bounty too! It says 10 million beli!" I glowed as I held it up. The picture featured me standing in Nami's tangerine grove with my blue flames surrounding me and a smirk upon my face. "What!" exclaimed everyone.

"I guess I got too much of their attention when I literally barbecued up their squadron. Added to defeating one of Alrong's top members and giving that rat guy a punch to the face first, I guess announcing my name to them didn't really help either." I thought out loud.

"You did what!" exclaimed Ussop.

"Hm, Dragon Slayer Yukio." I read aloud. _Doesn't look half bad on paper._

As I gave the paper to Nami, everyone else dispersed around the ship. _**Hatchling, I am done over here. Please thank the swordsman for me as well.**_I heard Ryu say in my mind. I walked back to the mast and retrieved both swords. I slung Ryu back and made my way over to Zoro who went back lifting huge weights.

"Zoro, here is your sword back. Ryu says thanks as well." I said. He set down his weights as I handed him back his white katana. I noticed Zoro raise one of his eyebrows as soon as he touched it. "Seems like he had a pleasant talk." said Zoro. I gave a small smile and waved goodbye as I walked away.

"Ah, Yukio, you need to change your bandages. Doctor told me to remind you." said Nami as I passed by her.

"Oh, thanks Nami! Anywhere I can sit in privacy?" I asked.

"Down that hatch is the boys' room." said Nami as she tossed me a roll of bandages.

"Thanks!" I said as I went below.

As soon as I went down, I saw a table and decided to start changing my bandages. As I took off my shirt and started to unraveled them, I heard the hatch open behind me. _Shit! I forgot to lock it! _I quickly went to the opposite side of the mast.

"Oi, Yukio, Nami told me you were down here changing your bandages. Do you need any help?" said a voice that I recognized as Sanji. "Yukio?"

"Uh, n-no thanks." I stuttered. _Why. Why did I answer?_

"Come on, I heard what you did for me with that octopus bastard, and I feel kind of guilty. So let me at least help you with this." He said as he slowly made his way around the mast.

I walked around the mast again to avoid him, but tripped. "Watch out!" Sanji exclaimed as he darted forward and grabbed some loose bandages in an attempt to stop my fall. It did help me from falling, but now the top of my chest was exposed as some of the bandages unraveled.

My eyes widened as I saw Sanji, eyes wide and his face red. "GYAHHH!" I screamed as I kicked him away, sending him flying into the couch behind him. I quickly covered myself with my arms, my face red.

I heard footsteps rushing above me. _Today is just not my day._ I glanced to where Sanji was sitting on the couch. He was looking the other way, bit I saw that his face was still burning bright red.

"What happened!" exclaimed Luffy and Ussop as they jumped down.

"GET OUT!" I yelled as I rushed towards Sanji, grabbed him, and kicked him along with the two idiots back above deck before they could see me. I closed the hatch with a loud bang and locked it, letting out a sigh.

I finished wrapping my new bandages, although a bit flustered, and slipped my shirt back on. I unlocked the hatch and climbed back up, only to meet face to face with the rest of the crew, minus Sanji.

"What was that commotion about?" asked Nami, her arms folded.

"Uhhh…S-Sanji didn't say anything?" I started, smiling weakly.

"No, as soon as we were kicked out, he went into the kitchen and has not come out since," said Ussop.

"Now, answer my question. . That. About." demanded Nami as she leaned in closer.

I backed up a bit, but was cornered against the mast. I closed my eyes. "S-Sanji f-found out t-that I was a g-g-girl…" I stuttered as I held up my arms. The whole deck was silent as they absorbed the information.

"YOU'RE A GIRL!" everyone exclaimed suddenly, causing me to flinch at the outburst.

"Y-yes" I said sheepishly, putting one of my arms down and rubbing the back of my head with the other. After a few minutes of explaining and several punches on my head later, the deck was silent.

"So let me get this straight," sighed Nami as she rubbed her temples. "You wanted to have some fun and hid your gender as a game!"

"Y-yes." I said, now sitting on the floor and nursing my head.

"Eh, so that's why you never went swimming!" said Luffy as he sat down in front of me.

"Idiot! You never even knew what gender your blood relative was!" yelled Nami as she hit Luffy.

"Who ever said anything about being blood relatives?" I said, as I tilted my head in confusion.

"Wait, you mean you guys aren't really related?" said Zoro.

"Nope. We exchanged cups of sake when we were younger, making us brothers by pact." I said.

"Hmm…" started Luffy as he tilted his head and stared at me, "Yukio is still Yukio, right?" He grinned, and I smiled.

"Of course!" I exclaimed.

"Nyahhaha! So there's noting to worry about!" exclaimed Luffy.

I heard Nami sigh again and say, "Whatever, but you should go check on Sanji. He was acting pretty weird." She narrowed her eyes and smirked, "How exactly did he find out you were a girl?"

"Uh… Oh! Look at the time!" I said as I got up and ran away into the kitchen.

When I got into the kitchen, I saw Sanji sitting at the table. He had his head down, and his arms covered his face. "Uh, Sanji… Are you alright?" I asked, walking towards him.

When I got closer I noticed that he was sleeping. I smiled a bit and sat next to him. I remembered that I had my music box in my pocket, so I took it out and wound it up. I placed it on the table and opened it. The soft melody played through the room, the steady beat making me feel sleepy. I let out a yawn as I set my head on the table, wrapping my arms around it. _Not a bad idea to nap since I couldn't earlier._ With another yawn, I fell fast asleep to the music.

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><p><strong>Sanji's POV<strong>

When I heard the door open, I quickly put my head in my arms and pretended to sleep. _I can't let her see me like this._ I thought as I remembered how I accidentally found out that Yukio was a girl. I mean, how could I not see it before?

A shining goddess was under my nose and I had no idea. "Uh, Sanji… Are you alright?" Yukio asked. I heard her step closer and a rustle as she sat next to me. My heart started beating a bit faster.

_Why the heck am I feeling this way?_ I thought as I heard Yukio take something out of her pocket.

I heard something being wound and placed on the table. Soon after, a melody was being played from the object. _A music box?_ Another rustle of clothes ensued, and I heard Yukio yawn. After a few minutes of silence, I peeked one of my eyes open. I saw that Yukio had set her head down and fallen asleep.

I smiled and stood up quietly. I took of my jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Good night." I whispered. *sigh* _I guess that's why I care so much for her. Although, I have no idea how I'm supposed to act around her now. She may be a girl, but she fights pretty damn well._ I stepped outside onto the deck and took a look around.

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><p><strong>Yukio's POV<strong>

When I awoke, I found Sanji's jacket over me. "Wah! How long was I asleep!" I sprung out of my seat, stuffing my music box in my pocket and taking Sanji's jacket. I stepped outside of the kitchen and onto the deck.

"So that's the town that the Pirate King died at…" I heard Luffy say as they faced an incoming island. _Oh, probably not long then._ I spotted Sanji near the head of the ship and walked over to him. I tapped him on the shoulder and handed him his jacket.

"Thanks." I mumbled as I walked away, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. I jumped back into the crow's nest and sat down, watching the island get closer and closer.

_Logue Town, the town of the beginning and end. __**Hatchling, are you alright?**_ I heard Ryu say. I eyed the blade and gave a small smile. _Of course, nothing a little exploring won't fix. Are you up for some adventure? __**Sure.**_

When we docked, I immediately took my things and leaped from the crows nest. "Time for exploring!" I yelled as I passed over my friends' heads.

This time, Ryu used his winds to let me land in order to not draw attention. I closed my eyes and picked a random direction. "Over there!" I said as I started walking.

An hour or two in, and many random pointing later, I found that I was standing in front of a bookstore. _Worth a shot_. I walked into the store.

The shopkeeper there was a woman, and smiled at me when I entered. I smiled back and began to browse the books. There were so many kinds. Mystery, romance, and even joke books filled the shelves. After a few more minutes of browsing, a book in the far corner of the store caught my eye.

It was a leather bound book with a familiar imprint on the front. _That looks like... a magic circle._ I thought as I traced the pattern. I tried to open the book, but for some reason it was stuck.

I walked to the shopkeeper and said, "Miss, if I may ask, what is this book about?"

"Oh my, where did this come from?" she said as she took the book. "I don't remember having this book in stock. It looks fairly old though. Where did you find this?"

"It was in the corner over there. If I could, may I please buy it?" I asked.

"Well, it wouldn't be right for me to sell you a book that isn't ours, but if you really want it, you can take it with you." she said as she handed me the book back.

"Really? Thanks!" I said as I smiled. I gave her a few beli as thanks, and walked outside. I noticed that there were less people in the streets but shrugged it off. I sat down at a nearby bench and looked at the book. I tried to open it again, but still no luck.

_Maybe…_ I placed my hand on the cover and created a magic circle. I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion as the book began to shine, and a different magic circle appeared around me. Suddenly, a display screen appeared in front of me it said, "Download Information? Yes / No" _Archive Magic._ I stared at the display, contemplating what I should do.

I reached towards the screen, but hesitated for a moment. _Should I? _I clenched my fists. _I need answers. This is the only way._

I reached out again and touched "Yes" on the display. As soon as I removed my hand, many small displays appeared around me, reading "Downloading..." Information began to pour into my head, images flashing before my eyes. However, one voice rang through my ears as clear as day, **"One who comes from another world, heed my call. Journey through the seas to find your true self."**

**A/N: **Man, I find it really hard to write in Sanji's POV.


	27. Chapter 27: What has been Lost

Sorry I haven't been updating, haven't really been motivated to write. That's why you guys need to review and give me suggestions! Also, thank you to StarrlettAngel for her OC submission, I'm thinking of a way to put her into the story. Sadly, it's not in this chapter. Review Responses at the bottom! Also, went to AX2012! If you saw a short Sawada Tsunayoshi in an orange jacket and orange shoes, probably was me :)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than Yukio and Ryutaro.

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><p>I saw images of a field, with lush grass and vibrantly colored flowers. In the middle of the field lay a magnificent red dragon. <em>Igneel.<em> There was also a small boy playing around Igneel. He had pink hair, and wore a checkered scarf. _Natsu?_ Natsu was smiling and waving to someone behind Igneel. I looked in the direction of his wave and notice another head pop up from behind Igneel. _Is that… Me?_ I thought as the second child ran around as well and then started climbing on Igneel's back. She wore a light blue tank top, and tan shorts. _**"Natsu! Wait!" **_said the small girl, and sure enough, she sounded exactly like how I did when I was young.

Igneel looked up at the sky. _**The time has come.**_ I heard a voice echo around me. _**"Natsu, could you go into the woods and bring some wood?"**_ said Igneel.

"_**Sure!" **_said Natsu as he ran off.

"_**Wait, let me come too!" **_my younger self said.

"_**No -, you must stay here. I have to give you something," **_growled Igneel.

_Huh? Why can't I hear that part? From the conversation before, that should be…my name._

The small girl jumped off of Igneel's back. _**"What is it Otou-san?" **_Igneel shifted his head forward and touched his snout on my forehead. My younger self's eyes went blank, and stood there motionlessly.

"_**Young one, if you are hearing this, you must have arrived in the world**__ that__** one is in. Search for**__that person__**. Grow stronger and recover the memories I have taken from you. Scattered through that world are items such as this book that hold pieces of your memories."**_

Suddenly, a giant magic circle appeared around my younger self. _**"Lost Magic: Dimensional Crossing." **_said Igneel as he moved backwards. _**"I'm sorry I have to do this, but it is the only way." **_The magic was beginning to take effect, but started to go haywire as magical power began to run wild and leak from my younger self's body. _**"They are interfering again?" **_snarled Igneel as he looked around._** "Dimension Forced Transfer! Sealing Timer Set!"**_he exclaimed, touching the magic circle with the tip of his snout. Suddenly, the field disappeared, leaving me floating in a black abyss.

I returned back into my own body in time to see the display read "Download Complete. Automatic Deletion of Stored Data, Complete." Soon after, it disappeared, leaving me sitting on the bench once again. _It looks like it was one-time use only._ _Ryu…_

_**Don't worry hatchling, we will find them. **_I stared back at the book in my hands and found it unlocked. I slowly turned the cover. I looked through the pages of the book, and found drawings. _Are these, mine?_ I looked at the childish drawings, some of nature, some of people. At the end, I found a picture of me, Natsu, and Igneel. "My Family" was written at the top. Tears welled up in my eyes as I gripped the book tighter. _What have I lost?_

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><p>I wiped my tears away and put the book back in my bag. "Yosh! No time to mope around! I have a feeling Luffy is in some deep trouble, and I've got to go help!" I raced in the direction of the execution platform. On the way there, I met up with the rest of the crew.<p>

"So where is he?" asked Zoro.

"He said he wanted to check out the execution stand…" replied Nami.

"Isn't the executions stand right here in the square?" inquired Ussop.

"Uh guys, look." I said as I pointed to the top of the stand.

At the top was Luffy, pinned to the platform by some weird guy who looked like a clown.

"Why the heck is he on the platform!" everyone yelled.

"For the crime of angering me, I sentence you, Monkey D. Luffy, to a flashy execution!" announced the clown dude.

I face-palmed, "Luffy you idiot."

"You guys take care of this, Ussop and I will go prep the ship," said Nami. We all nodded, and she took off with Ussop.

I stared at the platform. The clown guy, who I now remembered was Buggy, was saying something to Luffy. Suddenly, Luffy shouted to the crowd, "I'm the man who'll become the Pirate King!" Gasps could be heard throughout the crowd as Buggy lifted his sword.

Sanji, Zoro, and I stepped forward. "WAIT!" we all yelled. "This execution is cancelled!" we said simultaneously.

"Sanji! Zoro! Yukio! Help me out here!" yelled Luffy.

"In any case, we've got to bring that execution stand down!" said Zoro.

"I know!" said Sanji.

"Roger!" I responded. We rushed into the oncoming pirates, beating all in our way.

"Gyahahah! Just watch carefully! Witness the last moments of your captain!" announced Buggy.

_Shit, if only I was closer, I could melt that thing to the ground!_

"ZORO! SANJI! USSOP! NAMI! YUKIO!" Luffy yelled.

I looked up to the platform. "Sorry, but it looks like I'm dead." said Luffy as he had on the widest grin I've ever seen. The sword began to fall towards Luffy. My heart sank despite what I knew what would happen.

"Wha…" started Zoro.

"Don't say that, you idiot!" yelled Sanji.

I looked away, shielding my eyes from the brightness of the lighting that struck the platform. A heavy downpour of rain followed.

From the rubble, crawled out Luffy, unharmed except for a few scratches. The whole square was left speechless.

"Hey… Do you believe in God?" asked Sanji.

"Do you believe in fate?" I replied, as I passed by him to join Luffy.

"Enough talking and let's leave this town already. We've got more trouble heading our way." said Zoro. We started to run in the direction of Merry. Tons of marines poured out into the street, chasing after us.

"The wind's getting worse." said Zoro.

"Jeeze, these guys are so persistent. Should we just stop and fight them off?" asked Luffy.

"No can do Luff, these guys are endless." I replied.

"More importantly, Nami told us to get to the ship as fast a possible." added Sanji.

In front of us, I noticed a figure standing in the rain. "Roronoa Zoro!" yelled the figure.

From behind us, we heard the shouts of the marines, "Sergeant Major Tashigi!"

"To think that you were Roronoa Zoro! And a pirate at that, too! You were just toying with me all along!" yelled Tashigi.

"You bastard! What did you do to that lady!" yelled Sanji. I mentally sweat-dropped.

"Never thought you were a marine…" said Zoro.

"I shall take back that Wadou Ichimonji!" declared Tashigi.

"Just try it." challenged Zoro.

As they clashed swords Zoro said, "Go on." We all nodded our heads and left Zoro to deal with his fight.

"That brute dares harm a lady!" yelled Sanji as he slowed down to look behind at Zoro's battle. I sighed and pushed him forward.

"Oi. What are you doing!" yelled Sanji as I kept pushing him.

"Shut up and keep running! We don't have the time!" I said.

"Someone is up ahead!" exclaimed Luffy. _Enter Smoker, center stage._

"So, you come, Straw Hat Luffy, and Dragon Slayer Yukio.

"Who're you!" inquired Luffy.

"The name's Smoker. I'm a captain of the Marine Headquarters. And I won't allow you to set sail from here!" Smoker exclaimed as he launched a stream of smoke towards us.

"_**Flaming Dragon's Roar!**_" I yelled, as I shot a torrent of flames at the smoke.

"What?" Smoker exclaimed as the smoke that was headed for me dissipated. However, a second stream of smoke had made its way to Luffy, who was now caught in it.

"Why you… freak of nature!" yelled Sanji as he attempted to kick Smoker.

"Idiot! He's a Logia! Physical attacks don't work on him!" I yelled. I was too late as Sanji's foot went through where Smoker's head would have been.

"I don't have time for runts. _**White Blow!**_" Smoker exclaimed as he smashed Sanji into a nearby building.

"Sanji! _**Gomu Gomu no Pistol!**_" yelled Luffy as he threw a punch, only to faze through Smoker's body.

"Idiot! What did I just say!" I yelled, as I rushed towards Luffy and Smoker. Luffy was now pinned down by Smoker, about to be captured. I was stopped in my tracks however, when I saw a looming figure over the two. _Dragon._

I noticed Dragon take a look at me as he held onto Smoker's sea-stone jutte.

"I see you found It." he said. My eyes widened. _He knows something!_ I took a step toward Dragon, but a sudden gust of wind hit me, making me close my eyes.

"Luffy! Run for it or we'll be trapped on this island!" I heard Zoro yell, "A huge-ass storm is coming in!"

When I opened my eyes, I saw Sanji running towards me as well as Zoro.

"Excuse me." Sanji said as he picked me up bridal style.

"What the heck are you doing!" I yelled, blushing furiously.

"Sorry, but no time!" said Sanji, a grin on his face as he ran. I noticed that Zoro was dragging Luffy behind him by the ankle.

_At least I'm not in Luffy's position. _Behind us, I saw Dragon standing in the middle of the road, but I also noticed another figure next to him. _Who is that?_ The rain soon clouded my vision, and the figures faded away.

As we arrived at the ship, we saw Ussop and Nami aboard.

"Luffy!" cried Ussop, "Hurry up! This rope won't hold for much longer!"

"Hurry up and get on board! We're setting sail immediately!" yelled Nami.

Everyone jumped onto the ship, and Ussop cut the ropes, setting us off into the ocean.

"Um… Sanji? You can put me down now." I said, my face still a bit red. When I looked up, I saw that he was turning slightly red as well.

"Oh, um right." He said, as he set me down and walked to the front of the ship.

"Yahoo!" cheered Luffy, "The ship feels like it'll flip right over!"

"You see that light over there?" pointed Nami, "It's known as the 'Light of Guidance.' The entrance to the Grand Line is just up ahead. So what shall we do?"

"D-Don't you guys think that entering the Grand Line in this storm is a bit…" began Ussop.

"So we've reached the Grand Line have we?" interrupted Sanji, "Well, this calls for celebration!" Sanji took out an empty barrel from storage, and placed it in the middle of the deck.

"To find All Blue."

"To become the Pirate King!"

"To be the greatest swordsman."

"To draw a map of the world!"

"T-To become a brave warrior of the sea!"

"… To live the life I was given to the fullest." _And to regain my memories as well as find that person._ We all lifted our legs in the air.

"OFF TO THE GRAND LINE WE GO!" we cheered as we brought down our feet, smashing the barrel.

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><p>Afterwards, everyone except for Nami and Luffy headed back into the lounge. As we sat at the table, I began to feel a bit sleepy.<p>

_Why do I feel so drained of power? Is it because of the book?_ I laid my head down and closed my eyes for a bit. However, I couldn't sleep because the rain incessantly beat down on the ship, creating a loud and slightly annoying sound.

I heard Nami come in, and announce, "The entrance to the Grand Line is a mountain." I tuned out the rest of the conversation, as I knew the whole explanation of Reverse Mountain. Suddenly, Ussop said something about the storm clearing, and everyone went outside.

While no one was looking, I sluggishly went to the cargo and tightened all the ropes as well as secured the cabinets closed. I took some extra rope and slumped my way outside. As the others were running around, trying to find the oars, I snuck around and tied down any loose precious cargo I could find. I then strode to the mast and hung onto a spare rope tied around it. Just as I grabbed on, the ship started to shake. Soon enough, we were on the nose of a giant Sea King, and everyone was freaking out. A few seconds later, the Sea King sneezed. The ship was sent flying into the air, but I didn't mind. I was dangling from the mast and heard shouts about a frog and Ussop, but didn't really pay attention.

As soon as the ship landed, I let go the ropes. I stood up and leaned myself against the main mast, watching as everyone slowly recovered from their flight. My head was pounding and I couldn't think straight. By now, I was irritated from my headache and started mumbling to myself. However, I didn't notice that I was mumbling a little too loud. "Darn currents… going up mountain… flows into Grand Line…"

"What's with her?" asked Sanji.

"Yukio gets irritated when she's tired." responded Luffy. "I wouldn't get close to her at this point." He said as he grinned.

"Ah! What she said may be the key! We really are going to climb up the mountain!" realized Nami. _Oh crap, they heard me._

"It must be due to the sea currents. If strong currents from each of the four seas were to all head towards that mountain…Then they would drive the water up the water way! At the very top, the currents will merge and come out to the Grand Line!"

"So… basically it is a Mystery Mountain!" declared Luffy.

"I shouldn't have expected you to understand. But Yukio, how did you know about those key points?" She looked towards me, and I could feel the suspicion in her glare.

"Oh, I read about it in a book," I said as I scratched my cheek, trying to look innocent.

I pushed myself off the mast and was about to head for the kitchen until I started to feel dizzy. My vision began to blur and I started to breathe more deeply. Finally, my legs gave out and I fell onto the floor. A few seconds later, I felt someone lift me up and bring me into a room. I strained to open my eyes and saw a familiar mossy green head.

"Thanks…Zoro." I whispered. He grunted in response and set me down on a bed. From behind him I saw Nami and Sanji. Nami was preparing a wet towel and some ice while Sanji was getting some blankets out of a chest.

"Guys, no need to… worry about me." I said softly. "You guys should be… focusing on entering the… Grand Line."

Nami looked at my pleading eyes and sighed. "Sanji, could you stay and look after her? Zoro, come with me to manage the ship." Both men nodded and soon I was left alone in the room with Sanji. _Not awkward at all._ I thought sarcastically.

"Sorry about earlier." apologized Sanji as he covered me with a blanket. I smiled slightly.

"That's okay, although I was surprised. You didn't… get a nosebleed." I laughed softly as Sanji turned red again.

"Kidding, kidding. Anyways, could you… do me a favor?" I said as he placed the towel on my head.

"Sure, what is it?"

"In the crows nest… is my bag. Could you get that…and bring it in here?"

He looked at me worryingly for a moment but nodded his head. After he left, I slowly sat up and made my way to the door while using a nearby wall for support. I felt the boat speed up and grabbed the handle of the door in order to keep steady. A sharp rebound against something, I assumed to be Luffy's fault, jarred the ship and almost made me loose balance.

Soon, the ship was making its way up the mountain, and I opened the door. I climbed through the doorway and leaned against the wall. The view was amazing. A clear blue sky was above us, and the sun was shining over the ocean. The ship lurched upwards and slammed back on the water, signaling our descent.

"I can see the Grand Line!" Exclaimed Luffy as he sat on Merry's head. He looked very excited and happy, but would you expect anything less from him?

In the distance, I could hear a deep cry. _Laboon!_ I smiled as I thought of the cute giant whale. I tried to take a step forward to see him better, but collapsed onto the floor. Sanji leapt down from the mast with my bag.

"What are you doing out of bed!" exclaimed Sanji with a concerned look on his face. He slipped a hand under my arm to help me get up. He led me back into the room and helped me lie down.

"Sorry," I said weakly, "I wanted to see the Grand Line." I smiled at him as sleep overtook me. "Goodnight Sanji." I mumbled.

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><p>When I woke up, I noticed that I wasn't in the Going Merry anymore.<p>

"Glad to see you are awake," said a slightly familiar voice. From the doorway appeared Crocus, holding a glass of water and medicine. "You just had a minor cold from overexertion. Here is some medicine. Your friends are outside."

"Thank you. You must be Crocus, right?" I asked as he gave me the glass.

"How do you know my name?" he asked, puzzled and a bit suspicious.

"I actually know quite a bit about you. I've heard stories about you and Laboon, the whale you are taking care of." I drank the medicine and set the empty glass on a nearby table.

Crocus nodded. "I see... then I guess you've heard about how those pirates..."

"They didn't run away." I stated.

"What? How would you know that kid?" questioned Crocus. He pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Secret." I grinned.

"The article you read about them was one where they attempted to leave the Grand Line through the Calm Belt right? The real story was that the captain caught a disease while sailing. He and some of his crew that were also affected tried to sail across the Calm Belt to prevent any more of their crew from getting sick. The rest of the crew continued on. However, they had a bit of a... misfortune in the Florian Triangle. Everyone died."

"I see... so that means..." said Crocus in a low voice.

"Except one." I held up a finger, "Technically he did die, but his Devil Fruit powers brought him back to life. You remember right? The man named Brook." I grinned as I saw realization dawn on Crocus's face.

"Right now he is drifting in the Florian Triangle with a broken rudder, waiting for the day he is able to escape and meet Laboon."

"Really? Poor soul, unable to do anything, all alone in this treacherous sea." Crocus sighed as he held his head.

"Don't worry, we will bring him back over the Red Line! Promise." I exclaimed as I held out my hand.

Crocus lifted his head and smiled. "You better keep your promise kid." He took my hand and shook it.

"By the way, thanks for healing me so quickly! I expect nothing less from the doctor of the Oro Jackson." I smirked as I saw Crocus's shocked face.

"Relax, relax! I may know a lot of things, but I know when to keep things a secret." I crawled out of the bed and stretched a bit. "Now, I got to go stop a crazy Luffy." However, as I took a step out of the door I heard the cry of our rubber captain.

"YAHHH! **Gomu Gomu no Flower Arrangement**!"

"Too late." I sighed as I covered my ears.

"BOOOOO!" cried Laboon as he started to flail around in pain. _I'm not going to even care at this point._ I sighed again as I walked over to the tower. I sat down just as Luffy crashed onto the tower, making some rubble fall near me.

"Oh! Yukio! You're awake!" cheered Luffy as he got out of the rubble.

"Yeah, and did you really need to break the MAST off?"

"Yup."

"Go figure. Fine, continue on."

With a nod of his head he shouted at Laboon, "IT'S A DRAW!"

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><p>crazyrubsoff: Thanks. Well, better one month later than never.<p>

Ninuhuju: Glad you liked it. Maybe, maybe not. No guarantees.

Luffyko: Probably not, I want to focus mainly on the three worlds involved.

StarrlettAngel: Once again, thank you!

69AnimeFreak69: Thanks!

KonekoNoRenkinjutsushi: Glad you liked it!


	28. Chapter 28: Cacti HO!

Another chapter after so long! I had an awesome idea for later on in the story, so I'm really going to have fun writing it. I remembered a suggestion from one of my readers a long time ago, and it gave me a burst of inspiration. So, just so you know... yes, your guys' reviews do help me and inspire me so keep on reviewing and giving me suggestions on what you want to see! Review Responses for Ch 27 at the bottom.

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><p>After a few hours, Luffy had finished painting a crude version of our Jolly Roger on Laboon's forehead. "It amazes me how badly you draw Luff." I was standing next to him as he held a giant paintbrush that he mysteriously acquired.<p>

"_Where did he even get that?" _I thought, but shrugged it off as I went to the coast and spotted Laboon surfacing in front of me.

"Hi Laboon!" I grinned. He made a noise in response, and I began to climb the gigantic whale. As soon as I reached the peak, next to the huge bandage on his head, I sat down cross-legged and stared out into the sunset.

"_Poor guy, sitting here for over 50 years, waiting..." _I thought, stroking Laboon's head.

"I may not be one of the Rumbar Pirates, but I hope you enjoy this song," I said.

With a deep breath, I began to sing the song I knew would cheer up Laboon. However, I sung it at a slower tempo and gentler tone.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo

Umikaze kimakase namimakase

Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu

Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta

Sayonara minato, Tsumugi no sato yo

DON to icchou utao, funade no uta

Kinpa-ginpa mo shibuki ni kaete

Oretacha yuku zo, umi no kagiri

Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo

Warera kaizoku, umi watteku

Nami wo makura ni, negura wa fune yo

Ho ni hata ni ketateru wa dokuro

Arashi ga kita zo, senri no sora ni

Nami ga odoru yo, DORAMU narase

Okubyoukaze ni fukarerya saigo

Asu no asahi ga nai ja nashi

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho,

Yo-hohoho, Yo-hohoho

I held the last note for a second or two before I let it die out. A single tear was on the corner of my eye as I smiled. Laboon called out happily as he leapt into the air, throwing me off.

"Wah!" I exclaimed as I flailed about. I quickly used my flames to stabilize myself, making a free-fall towards the lighthouse.

"Yahoooo!" I cheered as I saw all of my nakama look up to see me falling.

Ussop began to run around the ship panicking and Nami was holding her head in disbelief. Sanji looked kind of worried, Zoro was sleeping on the ship, and Luffy was grinning like the idiot he is.

I quickly aimed for an open area and slowed down my descent with my flames. I landed in a crouch with a soft thud, stood up, and dusted the dirt off my pants.

"Yo," I said, raising a hand in greeting.

"Are you crazy?!" shouted Ussop. I gave him a sorry look, putting my hand behind my head.

"Was that you singing?" said Sanji. He was carrying four huge plates of food to a table. A blush made its way to my cheeks.

"Y-yeah, I-"

"WOW! Yukio! I never knew you could sing. It was awesome!" cheered Luffy as he ran up to me with sparkles in his eyes.

I sweat-dropped. "Tha-"

"AHH!" screamed Nami as she looked at her compass.

"_Can't I ever finish a sentence."_

"What's wrong? Why are you screaming?" asked Luffy as he wiped some paint off his arm.

"The compass is broken! It won't stop spinning!" Nami stared at the small device in her hand as the needle continued to turn at a surprisingly fast rate.

"Regular compasses don't work here. Isn't that right Crocus-san?" I said as I grabbed a piece of the elephant tuna from the table and started to munch on it.

"That is correct. I told you that you cannot use common sense in this ocean. Every island is the source of many events that happen in the Grand Line. These events create a huge magnetic field that covers every single inch of this place," explained Crocus.

"Water current, wind current, and weather are all uncertain. This is like a deathbed for those without good navigation skills. The only way to travel the Grand Line is with a Log Post." I strode over Luffy and pulled out his left hand. "Like this," I said, as I snatched it away from him.

"Ok, ok. But wait a minute. How do you know all this Yukio? Also..." Nami punched Luffy in the face, "How did you get something like this!?"

I laughed. "Actually, I began researching it out of curiosity and found tons of information, mostly from other pirates or log books."

"I see..." said Nami as I handed her the Log. "I guess it makes sense since none of us ever thought about going to the Grand Line at first other than Luffy, and we all know that he would never even pick up a book much less read one."

Nami turned to Luffy. "What's your excuse?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Those mystery people left it on our ship," Luffy whined as he rubbed his cheek.

"Each island in the Grand Line has a unique magnetic field. We have to save this field that attracts one island to another in the Log Post, then use it to guide us to the next destination," explained Crocus, "The magnetic field that the Log Post collects in the only thing you can trust. However, first you have to choose one of the seven magnetic fields from this island. No matter which one you start with, you will end up to the last island."

"The island that is said to hold the legendary treasure One Piece, Raftel," I said, "That is the greatest saga, and no one has yet to accomplish it besides Gold Roger."

"That's not a problem if we try," stated Luffy as he smiled while chewing on some fish bones. He actually ate the bones then leaned back in his chair. "Shall we go now? I'm stuffed!"

I looked at the table, and saw all the empty plates.

"You ate all of the food!" Sanji, Ussop, and I yelled. I clenched my fist in anger.

"Idiot Luffy!" I ran towards the said moron and drop-kicked him. Sadly, he flew in the direction of Nami. As he sailed by, his foot caught on the glass ball of the Log Post, smashing it. I sweat-dropped.

"Uh. S-Sorry Nami?" I stuttered as I slowly backed away. Nope, apologizing did nothing.

"Why don't both of you just go calm down in the sea!" Nami yelled as she sent Luffy and me flying into the ocean. As soon as we landed in the water, I quickly dove under and saw Luffy sinking fast. I swam as fast as I could and latched onto him, dragging him upwards. I heard a distant explosion, but thought that it was just Ussop trying out his exploding stars or something. As Luffy and I surfaced at the shore, we noticed two other people beside us.

"Eh?" we all stated.

I pulled Luffy onto the soil and hefted myself up as well. I turned to the one that was most familiar, a girl with blue hair pulled up in a ponytail, Vivi. Well, technically Miss Wednesday since we haven't gotten to Whiskey Peak yet.

"Allow me," I offered as I held out my hand.

"Err...Thank you," she said as I gently pulled her up.

"My name is Yukio, pleasure to meet you." I placed a hand over my heart and gave a short bow.

"Miss Wednesday, and this is Mr.9," she responded as she gave a short bow in return and motioned to the orange haired man in the water.

"Hey! I would like to ask for your help," said Mr.9.

"You're a man, do it yourself." I scoffed, grabbing Luffy by the collar and dragged him as I guided Miss Wednesday to the others.

The next few minutes were spent having the two newcomers tell us about their situation.

"Whiskey Peak? What is that?" asked Ussop.

"It's the name of our town," replied Miss Wednesday.

"You don't have a ship, so you want us to take you there?" questioned Nami, "Don't think it's too easy Mr. 9. You were thinking about killing this nice whale weren't you?"

"What? They were gonna kill this sweet, lovable Laboon?" I exclaimed as I hugged Laboon, well part of him anyways.

"Tell us, who are you?" asked Ussop.

"I am the king. Ouch!" Mr. 9 exclaimed as he was pinched by Nami.

"Don't lie!" she said angrily.

Out of options, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 went on all fours and begged for them to help us.

"We can't tell you, but we really want to go back to our town. We will repay you if you help us!" they said.

I zoned the rest of the conversation out as I thought about the events that were going to happen soon. "_Lets see, island of bounty hunters, exploding booger guy, umbrella girl, curly hair guy, muscular priest lady... What else? Ah! I have to remember to do something about the curly hair's ship blowing up."_

I was interrupted by Luffy's declaration, "You can come with us."

* * *

><p>"Bye Crocus!" I exclaimed as I waved from the ship.<p>

"We are going now Mr. Flower!" said Luffy.

"Thank you for the Log Post," said Nami.

"See you again," responded Crocus.

Luffy ran to the back of the ship and shouted to Laboon, "I am going now, whale! And I'll be back!"

"BO!" was Laboon's reply as we sailed away.

After a good hour or so, the weather started changing from a warm summer to a freezing winter.

"A-achoo!" sneezed Luffy as he was making a snowman on the ship's deck. He wasn't even wearing a jacket! Just his usual vest, shorts, and sandals.

Luckily, I didn't need to wear a jacket as I used my flames as an invisible barrier that warmed the air around me. I was standing next to the mast, watching Ussop and Luffy playing in the snow, Sanji shovelling it off the deck, and Zoro sleeping. Meanwhile, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday were wrapped up in blankets in the kitchen.

"Nami! You should check the Log Post!" I suggested as I followed her into the kitchen.

"But I just checked it..." she looked at the Log, "...a...second...ago..." I covered my ears.

"AHHHHHH!" she screamed for the hundredth time today. "Turn the ship around 180 degrees!" she ordered, rushing out the door.

I quickly ran outside and headed towards the sails, grabbing the ropes that controlled the direction we were facing. For the next 2 hours, we worked endlessly, combating the ever changing weather of the Grand Line. We only took breaks when Sanji brought out some rice balls for us to eat, although we still worked as we ate them. Tirelessly working, we finally stopped when the ocean had calmed down and the weather settled. Everyone was sprawled out on the ground, exhausted.

"*Yawn* Ha! That was a good sleep!" said Zoro as he stood up and stretched. "Eh? Hey! Even though it's good weather, it's not good to have everyone sleeping! I hope that you are not lost," said Zoro.

"_One day Zoro..."_ I thought, scowling. As Zoro began chatting with our new passengers, I headed back up into the lookout. I observed the deck at first, seeing Luffy sitting on the railing by the kitchen, and Nami keeping a keen eye on the Log Post after hitting Zoro. Everyone else was either still lying on the floor or heading back inside. As I looked back up, an approaching mass of land caught my eye. "CACTI HO!" I shouted, pointing straight ahead.

"Cacti? Don't you mean land?" said Ussop.

"Wow! An island with giant cacti!" exclaimed Luffy.

"This is Whiskey Peak! It's great that we safely arrived." said Mr. 9

Suddenly, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday leapt onto the railing of the ship.

"We have to go now. Thank you for taking us here," began Mr. 9.

"We shall meet again if we are destined to," continued Miss Wednesday.

"Bye-Bye Baby!" They both said, as they jumped off the boat, did a backflip, and dived into the ocean.

"_Weird, but cool."_ I thought as I began to inspect the island. There was a thick fog surrounding the island, but I could smell people lurking around as we sailed into the river.

"Welcome to our town, Whiskey Peak!" cheered the town's citizens as the fog cleared.

After docking, we were asked to join a party by the curly haired guy. Sanji, Ussop, and Luffy immediately agreed, and we headed off into a nearby building.

* * *

><p>The party mostly consisted of drinking contests, eating, storytelling, and flirting. I mostly spent my time drinking some beer in the back, watching everyone have fun. Suddenly, a woman approached me. "Would you like to join us?" she asked, motioning over to where Sanji was. He was swarmed by girls, looking like he was in heaven. Just to mess with him, I agreed.<p>

"Huh? Yukio? What are you doing here?" asked Sanji as I took the seat next to him.

"Well, this kind woman invited me over, so I thought as a _gentleman,_ I would accept her offer," I said with a smirk.

He gave me a questioning look. _"This is going to be hilarious,"_ I thought, changing into playboy mode.

I leaned closer to the girl next to me, purposely bumping into her.

"Ah, sorry," I said with a smile. I noticed her blush, and quickly thought up a follow-up.

"Oh my, you look a bit red, do you have a fever?," I said, placing on hand on her forehead, bringing my face a bit close to hers. She shook her head furiously and started to blush even harder. Behind her, I saw other girls start to crowd and blush. I saw another girl standing a few feet away. She had a few crumbs on her cheek, and decided to use that as my next 'weapon'.

I stood up and walked over to the girl. "Ah, pardon me," I brushed the crumbs away from her cheek with my finger, "Wouldn't want those crumbs to spoil your cute face." I could see the girl and others behind her blush.

"_That Shojo Manga reading phase has some perks to it," _I thought.

I saw Sanji fuming from the corner of my eye, and decided to kick it up a notch. I leaned slightly forward to look at the girl from a lower perspective.

"Would you like a drink?" I asked, holding out a small glass of wine I picked up from the table. I gave another small smile and the girls immediately fell for it. I heard squeals behind me and the girl started to blush madly. A few moved away from Sanji and came towards me, asking a few questions and handing me drinks. I happily drank the wine, secretly burning the alcohol away as I drank.

By the end of the night, Sanji, Ussop, and Luffy were sound asleep. I pretended to sleep, waiting until the bounty hunters had left. I knew that Nami and Zoro were awake as well. They were too smart to let themselves be fooled.

* * *

><p>"Ready for some action?" I whispered to Zoro as we got up.<p>

Zoro gave me a smirk, motioning towards the roof. I followed close behind, taking my bandana from my wrist and tying on my head. When we reached the top, we could hear people talking.

"Hurry up and get their treasure out of their ship. Then, tie them up! If we killed them, we will get 30% less money. The government wants them alive to execute them in front of people," said the curly haired guy.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but could you let them sleep a little longer? They're tired from this afternoon's voyage," announced Zoro.

"Boss! Two of them are missing!" said a man.

"You should have been completely unconscious!" said the curly-haired guy.

Zoro gave a smirk. "A real swordsman will not fall for a trick like that!"

"My my, a whole island full of bounty hunters, waiting for pirates who barely come to the Grand Line. Looks like there are about 100 of them," I said, stepping out from behind Zoro.

"We will be your challengers tonight, Baroque Works!" exclaimed Zoro.

"How did you know our company's name!?" yelled Mr. 9.

"When I was a hunter, your company sent an agent to ask me to join you, but I rejected it. Every employee's past is a secret, and everyone will call each other by a code name. No one will know who is the boss or where he lives. You are a group of mercenaries that will follow an order without question, Baroque Works!" said Zoro.

"Hey, Zoro," I whispered to him as he stood up, "Don't kill the curly haired guy and the blue haired girl."

"Why?" he asked.

"I have my reasons." I replied with a grin, drawing Ryu from his sheath.

"Fine, but that will come out of your 50, not mine," said Zoro with a smirk in return.

"Kill them!" yelled the curly hair man.

I used my flames as propulsion and flew down to the crowd at a frightening speed. As I landed, I noticed Zoro had landed only a few feet away. All of the bounty hunters were still looking at the rooftop, oblivious to where we were.

"They're not there! Where did they go!?" yelled Mr. 9 and Mr. 8. When they finally noticed that we were standing next to them, Zoro gave a smirk.

"So, shall we begin?" he said.

"Gladly."

* * *

><p>Ninuhuju: Actually, Dragon didn't leave the book! I can't tell you who, what, or why it's a surprise!<p>

majishan: I'm glad I made you curious! I hope I update faster too :P

ShayminPrima: Yup... Awkward moments are to die for :D

mamc97nolongeranonymous: Long name... Thank you!

twonormalgirlsandaiportal: OKKKKKKK

Meatbun Attack: I'm glad you chose this one as your first! Keep looking out for more!

GoddessOfNight08:Lol, it's the stupid, goofy scenes that make One Piece, well, ONE PIECE! And you gotta love it :D

SilverNeria: Well, that would be way too complicated for me. Also, that would make her way too overpowered :P

YunaKnightwriter97: OK! XDDD

69AnimeFreak69: Thanks so much! I realized not make Xovers have stuff like this, usually just the cannon characters in other worlds, so it makes me really happy that people like it :D

Guest: I know I need to update :P And Thanks so much.

cascadonsqueen: No it's not! T.T Here's another chapter! And there will be more!

Kibo-desu: Thank you so much!

* * *

><p>Hope I didn't miss anyone! And for two people who reviewed other chapters and may or may not ever see this:<p>

Guest: Sorry the first chapters were so short T.T Looking back on them, I really hate them now, but am too lazy to fix them T.T

Animeruu: Wow, so cool that someone is so similar to her! Glad you liked it!


	29. Chapter 29: Name

So yeah, here is another chapter! I haven't really been motivated to write, so chapters won't be coming out for a while. This chapter guest stars StarrlettAngel's OC! Sorry for any mistakes, I didn't have a chance to proofread it. Sadly, no review responses either. Besides, most of them were just telling me to update :P

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other that Yukio and Ryu. Seiren Kurosu belongs to StarrlettAngel.

* * *

><p>Many bounty hunters drew their guns at Zoro and I. I leapt into the air just as they fired, resulting in them shooting themselves.<p>

"_What a bunch of idiots,"_ I thought.

"_**Flaming Dragon's Roar!**__" _I shouted, blasting blue flames downward and slightly burning the bounty hunters.

"_**Hatchling, some gunmen are on the roof to your left,"**_ said Ryu.

"_Okay," _I responded, rotating mid-air to face the hunters._** "Moon of the Flaming Dragon!"**_

A wave of blue flames in the shape of a crescent flew from my sword and collided with the men, sending them tumbling off the building. I sheathed Ryu, landed on the ground, and was met with even more hunters.

"_**Flaming Dragon's Halo!"**_ I yelled, creating my favorite flaming twister. As I stood in the middle of unconscious bodies, another group was rushing towards me.

"When do these guys give up!?" I yelled, running through the streets and slipping into an alley. After a few minutes, the bounty hunters passed and I let out a small sigh.

"_**Duck!"**_ yelled Ryu.

I quickly followed his advice, barely dodging a long sword that was now embedded into the wall. I dashed out of the alley and turned toward my opponent.

It was a woman, about my age with bright blue eyes. She was around 5'5 with long, wavy ash blonde hair that was in a ponytail that reached to her thighs. Her bangs covered her left eye and framed her face. She wore black short shorts, a black midriff tank top, black knee-high combat boots, a dark gray cloak, and sported a chain bracelet on her left hand. In her right, she held a claymore-like sword that was about as tall as, maybe even taller, than her.

She charged at me, wielding the giant sword with ease, as she swung at my chest. I jumped back and landed in a crouch, quickly leaping into a charge at her now open defenses.

"_**Flaming Dragon's Talon!"**_ I said.

However, she was able to block my attack by swiftly twisting her wrist and bringing the blade in front of her.

"I won't let you hurt this town any further," she growled.

I kicked off of her sword and landed a few feet away.

"What do you mean?! You guys are the ones trying to take me and my friends away!" I said.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out two pieces of paper, Luffy's wanted poster as well as mine.

"You two are criminals! I can't let you guys sail to other islands wreaking havoc!" she yelled.

Throwing away the papers, she rushed towards me and hefted her sword over her head. I dodged to the left and unsheathed Ryu just in time for the second swing. I blocked her sword, but the force of her swing sent me flying into a building.

"_Ow much..."_ I thought sarcastically as I climbed out of the rubble, _"Time to kick it up a notch."_

I returned Ryu to his sheath and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and used all of my senses like how Ryu taught me. I heard the woman rush at me again. I released my magic, causing a powerful wave of energy that knocked the woman away just as she was about to strike. A scale-like pattern appeared on my arms.

"_**Flaming Dragon's..." **_I touched my fist to the ground, forming a blue magic circle around me. I charged once again at her, delivering a sharp kick against the metal of her sword._** "Talon!**_" I jumped backwards, "...and _**Roar!**_" I took another breath and released a stream of fire at her. The sword was glowing red hot because of the heat, but the woman still held on with a grimace.

"Dam pirates!" yelled the girl as she aimed to stab me. I moved to the left a bit, but something caught my attention.

"_The scent of...gunpowder!"_ I looked in the direction she was heading to, and saw a few barrels where the smell was coming from. _"This is bad!"_

I rushed in front of the blade, and caught is as it was only a foot away from the barrels. The searing hot blade cut into my hands, causing drops of blood to run down my arms. I grimaced as I bore the pain.

"I never knew pirates were this stupid, purposely getting cut, for what? Stopping a blade?" sneered the woman, but I could see blisters forming on her hands and a few sweat drops on her forehead..

"Are you an idiot!?" I yelled, "Don't you see that there's barrels full of gunpowder behind me!? Let me tell you this, that much gunpowder plus a burning hot sword means the end of your life."

I kicked her wrists, loosening her grip, and threw the sword away.

"Even if it means the end of my life, if I can take you down then I don't care!" she yelled back.

Fist raised, she ran towards me again. I dodged a quick left hook and then a right. She struggled as I continued to maneuvered away from her attacks. She managed to throw a feint left then hit me with a right punch on my shoulder. It had some power behind it considering she waved around that large sword. I withstood the punch and held my ground. As she threw a straight jab at me, I grabbed her fist, twisted it behind her back, and pinned her on the ground.

"Get off me! Let me go!" she screamed with tears of anger in her eyes.

"Why are you trying so hard to protect a town of bounty hunters?! They KILL for a living!" I said.

She stopped struggling and became quiet. After a few seconds of silence, she started to speak again.

"I came to this island unconscious. I was sailing on a boat with nothing but my clothes and the sword on my back. These people took care of me, and when I woke up, I had no recollection of my past." Her voice started to shake. "Who was I? Where did I come from? What happened to me? All I knew how to do was fight with my sword. They gave me a name, a home, and a job. These people are who I am, and that's why I have to protect this island."

When she finished, I let go of her wrists and sat down next to her. She didn't try to attack. Instead, she just flipped over onto her back and stared at the starry sky. I unraveled some of the bandages from my chest and used them to wrap my hands.

"I guess I'm with you on that note." I said, "I'm looking for some of my memories. Well, more like pieces of a story about my previous life. I want to know who I was before, but not let it interfere on who I am now. Besides, I think I'm happier like this, a pirate who's only goal is to live their life to its fullest." I laughed a bit. "Also, about those bounties, they were the result of helping one of our Nakama and taking down a corrupt marine."

With a sigh, I stood up and dusted my pants off, "You don't have to believe me, but that is my truth. Now, it looks like I gotta go find my friends now. See you later-"

"Kurosu, Seiren Kurosu. You as well-" she said.

"Yukio, … Dragneel D. Yukio" I said with a faint smile.

"_A part of my name for a part of my life," _I thought.

* * *

><p>"What was I doing again?" I asked myself as I walked through an empty street.<p>

"There he is after 'im!" yelled a gruff voice. Shots rang and I quickly ran away.

"Oh yeah, I was running from these guys who seem to NEVER END!"

After a few blocks of running, I turned around and faced the mob of bounty hunters.

"_**Flaming Dragon's Roar!"**_ I shouted, knocking my pursuers unconscious and continuing on through the streets. As I turned the corner, I noticed Zoro sitting atop a building drinking a bottle of beer. At the base of the building, I could see the bodies of the curly haired man, Vivi, Mr. 9, and a buff looking woman.

"Ah! Zoro! I told you not to kill 'em!" I shouted.

"Relax. They aren't dead, just unconscious," he replied.

I saw Luffy sleeping on the floor, but decided to ignore him. He would be fine. I ran forward and jumped onto the roof Zoro was sitting on.

"Care to share?" I asked, pointing to the bottle.

"No way, get your own," said Zoro.

I rolled my eyes and sat down next to Zoro, criss-crossing my legs and propping my elbow on my knee. I set my chin on my hand and looked boringly at the moon. My ears perked up at the sound of footsteps below.

"Is it just me, or is someone coming?" said Zoro.

"It's not just you. Sounds like two people." I said.

We looked down and saw two people, a man and a woman, approach the group down below. They had just begun to regain consciousness, and were talking to the newcomers. As the man pulled out a piece of paper from his coat pocket, the curly-haired man shot out numerous bullets from his hair.

"Igaram!" shouted Vivi.

"_Ah. That was his name. Also, those two must be the agents sent to kill Vivi and Igaram."_ I realized.

As the smoke cleared away from the two agents, Vivi gasped as she saw that they were unscathed.

"Captain of the Arabasta Royal Guard Igaram and Princess Nefertari Vivi. By the orders of the boss of Baroque Works, you are to be eliminated," said the man.

"Well damn, Luffy's still down there," said Zoro.

"Then go get him baka," I stood up and started walking in the other direction, "I gotta go do something now, see ya."

I leapt off the roof and started a light jog towards the docks.

* * *

><p>"<em>Where is it... There!"<em> I thought as I spotted the giant ship that Igaram was going to use to act as the decoy.

I jumped aboard and looked around the main deck. Nothing, or so it seemed.

"I know you're here, Nico Robin." I announced.

I heard footsteps and turned around to see her leaning against the railing.

"Good evening, Dragon Slayer Yukio," she said with a fake smile, "What brings you here?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Foiling the operations of a high ranking officer of one of the largest secret organizations, nothing big really," I said sarcastically.

"Oh really, nothing big?" she replied as several arms appeared on my body and bound me.

I gave a smirk, "Not gonna work."

I surrounded my body in flames, causing Robin to flinch and dissipate her Devil Fruit arms. She gave me a calculating look before speaking again.

"So what is it you really want?" she inquired.

"_Smart. Wouldn't expect less from her," I thought._

"Information. Have you seen anything similar to this?" I activated my magic circle in front of my outstretched hand. It clearly displayed deep blue dragon shaped markings surrounded by various runes.

Robin's eyes widened a bit, but once again, she quickly masked her expression with a fake smile.

"Maybe," she said playfully.

_"Considering her tone, I don't think she's going to tell me anything,"_ I thought with a sigh.

"Maaa... It was worth a shot." I crossed my arms behind my head and casually strolled to a group of barrels, "But I wasn't lying about messing around with your plans a bit."

I gave a sharp kick to the barrels, sending them overboard with a splash. I could see numerous bombs fall out of the barrel, only to sink a few seconds after.

_"That at least will insure his life," _I thought as I glanced at Robin.

She was still smiling, probably because she knew those weren't the only bombs in the ship.

_"I can't take out all the bombs or else it'll change the whole storyline."_

I looked over at the town and saw Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Vivi sitting in an alley.

"Interesting group," said Robin as she followed my gaze.

"Yeah, although a bit of a handful at times" I said with a smile, "Having adventures with them makes it seem as if nothing is impossible."

I jumped off the ship and landed on the docks. I slipped off my bandana and tied it on my left wrist again. Looking back at the ship, I saw Robin leaning over the railing, watching me with an amused expression.

"See you soon, Nico Robin." I waved over my shoulder as I began to walk through the city.

_"Time to retrieve a pair of idiots."_

* * *

><p>When I arrived at the building where we had our feast, I immediately sweat-dropped. Sanji and Ussop were happily snoozing on the floor, mumbling about either girls or stories. In the distance, I could hear the explosion of Igaram's ship. I frowned slightly, but knew that he would survive. Luffy would be here any minute. I walked over to where Sanji slept and kneeled next to him. I reached out and poked his cheek. *poke*... No response. *poke*... *pokepoke* ... *pokepokepokepokepokepokepo-*<p>

"What the hell bastard!?" yelled Sanji as he shot up into a sitting position. Surprisingly, Ussop didn't wake up with all the noise.

I began to laugh lightly, and he finally noticed that I was the one poking him. He laid back down with a sigh and looked like he was trying to fall asleep again, leaving me speechless.

_"T-That was so... un-Sanji like. Oh god, did I break him?!"_ I mentally freaked out. I was about to poke him awake again until...

*BAM* Luffy bursted through the door and looked around. I gave him a small wave to show I was awake, and scooted a bit back from the chaos that was about to happen. He spotted Sanji and Ussop lying down and assumed they were asleep. He grabbed Ussop's nose and Sanji's ankle and began to drag them out, slamming them through the door frame in the process. With another small laugh, I got up and began to sprint after Luffy.


	30. Chapter 30: Foolishness

So, sorry about the *cough* long delay… I wasn't really inspired to write this. Now, this is not a promise for more chapters in the near future. Also, another reason for such a long period of inactivity is because I'm actually working on another story. No, it is not a One Piece story. Hit a few bumps in the road and still tweaking it a bit. I have a few ideas for this story but haven't found the passion to put them through. Sorry if this chapter is a bit lacking, uninspired writing tends to do that.

* * *

><p>By the time we reached the Merry, Zoro was already hoisting the anchor. I jumped aboard and immediately noticed Carue casually standing on the ship.<p>

"We don't have time to look for him right now!" reasoned Nami as she and Vivi stood near the ship.

"But I can't leave him here all alone!" countered Vivi.

"But you know..." began Nami.

"Oi, what's wrong?" called Zoro.

"She says her spot-billed duck is missing! She said it should have come when she whistled, but it won't!" said Nami.

"You mean this guy?" I asked as I patted the cute little duck on the head.

Carue gave a salute, only enraging the girls below.

"You were there the whole time!?" screamed Nami and Vivi simultaneously.

"He was here even before I got on," commented Zoro.

Vivi and Nami climbed aboard, as well as Luffy, still dragging Sanji and Usopp.

"Turn the ship upstream. It's the fastest way to get out of here!" said Vivi.

I climbed onto the mast and unfurled the sails. After I secured them, I jumped down and overheard Luffy talking to Vivi and Nami.

"Do you know how many people will follow us?" asked Luffy.

"I'm not sure, but there are around 2,000 people working for Baroque Works, and there are many towns similar to Whiskey Peak. Because we know who is the real boss, they'll want our heads," said Vivi.

By this time, Sanji and Usopp had woken up and began shouting, complaining about wanting to stay. Nami went over and gave them an explanation, the short way. I smiled as they laid on the ship with huge bumps on their heads. I climbed back up into the crow's nest and watched out for any rocks in our path.

* * *

><p>We continued to sail, and when we finally exited the river, we heard a voice.<p>

"Watch out for the shallows so that you don't strike the hull."

"You can count on me...Uh, was that you Luffy?" said Nami.

"Nice ship," said the voice.

Everyone finally noticed that we had a visitor on our ship, and got into a defensive stance. I on the other hand, leaned over the side of the nest and observed carefully.

"I saw Mr. 8 not too long ago, Miss Wednesday," said Robin with a smile.

"You killed Igaram!" said Vivi, rage building up.

"Even if you did, why the hell are you on my ship? Who are you?" complained Luffy.

"What are you doing HERE Miss All Sunday?" shouted Vivi.

"Miss All Sunday? Whose partner is it?" asked Nami.

"Mr. 0, the Boss's, partner. She is the only one allowed to know the Boss's true identity. I shadowed her to find out who he really was," replied Vivi.

"Or to be more precise, I _let_ you shadow me," Robin said.

"Oh, so she's a good guy," Luffy said.

"I knew that! And then the one who informed the Boss of his exposed identity was you, wasn't it!?" shouted Vivi.

"So she _is_ a bad guy," concluded Luffy.

"Just what exactly are your intentions!?" demanded Vivi.

"Who knows? But you were so serious about it, I just _had_ to cooperate. A princess who actually thinks she can make enemies of Baroque Works and save her country, it was just so ridiculous," said Robin.

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" screamed Vivi, as Usopp and Sanji appeared on either side of Robin, a gun and slingshot aimed for her head. Zoro unsheathed one of his swords, and Nami held up her Bo staff.

I leapt onto the edge of the crows nest and crouched, ready to attack if needed.

Suddenly, Usopp and Sanji were thrown over the railing. Zoro and Nami's weapons were also slapped from their hands. The gun that Sanji had was then thrown up and over me, landing in a hand behind me. The hand aimed the gun at my back. I glared at Robin before holding my hands up and stepping off and away from the edge of the crow's nest.

"The Devil's Fruit?!" exclaimed Zoro.

"What kind of ability?!" shouted Nami.

From their point of view, they couldn't see the arm holding a gun point-blank at me, and the ones that had slapped away their weapons had disappeared already. Sanji sat up from his position and noticed who had invaded our ship.

"Woah! Looking from here, she's one beautiful lady!" cooed Sanji with hearts in his eyes.

"_Not really helping Sanji,"_ I mentally sighed as Robin told them how she wasn't under any orders at the moment.

"So you're the famous Straw-hat Captain, hm? Monkey D. Luffy," said Robin as she used her Devil fruit powers to fling Luffy's hat towards her and caught it.

"Oi! Give Hat back! You wanna fight?!" Luffy childishly yelled, flailing about in anger.

"What bad luck. You pirates picking up a princess that Baroque Works wants dead. And that princess being protected by such a small number of pirates," she placed Luffy's hat on top of her own, "But your worst luck of all is the route that Log Pose is leading you on. The name of the next island is 'Little Garden'. My dears, even if we do nothing to stop you, you will not reach Alabasta. You'll be annihilated."

"I don't care! Give Hat back!" yelled Luffy.

"Yeah!You moron!" yelled Usopp from behind the mast.

"Are you a kid?" said Zoro, seeing how immature Usopp was.

"Rushing towards a place where you'll die. Doesn't that seem awfully foolish?" said Robin.

"Those who seem foolish at first may turn out to be the greatest in the future," I said.

"Maybe," she said, as she threw Luffy his hat back as well as an eternal log post towards Vivi, "With this, you can avoid Little Garden. The needle points to Nanimonai Island, just short of Alabasta. Since none of our members know of this route, you will not be followed."

"What? She's helping us out?" said Nami

"It's obviously a trap," commented Zoro.

As Vivi stared at the Log Post, contemplating what to do, Luffy strolled over and took it from her hands.

"Who the hell gives a crap?!" yelled Luffy as he crushed it, earning a kick to the face by Nami.

"Are you a complete dimwit!?" roared Nami, "She just told us the best way to go! What if she was trying to help us?! What then!?"

Luffy just laid on the ground and looked at Robin.

"You don't decide the route for this ship!" he boldly declared.

They stared at each other for a minute.

"Oh. How unfortunate," Robin said with a smile on her face.

"Geeze!" Nami said.

"She blew up the curly-haired-ossan. I hate her." Luffy childishly said as he sat up.

"Well, I don't hate those with high spirits," said Robin.

The arm behind me tossed the gun into my hands and then disappeared.

"If you survive, let's meet again," she said.

"No!" Luffy said.

Robin just smiled as she jumped off the side of the ship and onto a giant turtle, riding it away.

"That's one giant turtle!" exclaimed Luffy.

Vivi collapsed to her knees, "That woman! I can't understand what she's thinking!"

"Then trying to understand is a waste of time," said Nami.

"Yeah, we already have someone like that on our ship," added Zoro.

* * *

><p>As Nami explained the situation to Sanji and Usopp, I led Vivi into the girls room to change.<p>

"This here is the girl's room. Well, technically it has been Nami's room until now. Her closet is over here, feel free to use some of her clothes. I don't think she'll mind," I walked to the wardrobe and opened it, displaying the various clothes. Looking at my own clothes, I noticed they were dirty and blood stained from my fight earlier.

"Speaking of clothes, looks like I need to change too," I said with a half smile, "Let's see..."

I looked around and spotted my bag in the corner of the room. I guess Nami put it there sometime during when I was sick. I walked over and picked it up, rummaging through it for a shirt and pants. I finally found a black t-shirt with a blue star in the center, and a pair of black knee-length cargo shorts. I started to take off my shirt.

"W-what are you doing?!" exclaimed Vivi as she tried to shield her eyes, flustered.

"Ah. Haha. I guess I forgot to tell you," I took off my shirt to reveal my bandaged torso, "I'm actually a girl."

"B-but, at the party..." she began.

"I was just trying to annoy Sanji. Since he's a total playboy, I wanted to see how he would react when I picked up girls better than him," I laughed as I slipped on my new shirt and changed my pants.

"Come on outside once you're finished," I said, taking my bag and heading out the door.

* * *

><p>Nami was still explaining things to the guys, and Luffy was playing with Carue. I walked over to the mast and took a roll of bandages and some disinfectant from my bag. Sitting down, I started to properly treat the cuts on my hand.<p>

"Ow... I'm pretty stupid to just grab a blade like that aren't I?" I mumbled to myself, unwrapping the bloody bandages. After I cleaned and changed the bandages, I noticed Zoro walk over and sit next to me.

"So, mind telling me how you knew that those two weren't regular bounty hunters?" he asked just low enough so that the others wouldn't hear.

"Sharp. Didn't think you'd catch that," I said with a smirk, putting my supplies away.

I held up my finger. "Simple deduction good sir," I said in a fake British accent, "With information I have gathered including past records of Vivi's appearance along with careful consideration, I deduced that she was indeed the Princess of Alabasta. However, I knew she would not be without a companion since a princess always needs protection. Therefore, using the process of elimination and narrowing down the choices, Igaram was the prime person of interest."

Zoro looked at me weirdly with a sweat drop on his forehead, "I have no idea, what you just said."

I gave him a smile, "Info and gut feeling," I said in my regular voice.

"Ah," he said, realization on his face.

I saw Vivi step out of the girls' room, and it seemed that Nami had finished explaining to Sanji and Usopp.

"I see. I've done something inexcusable, but I still have yet to show my abilities. It's all right. Your sleeping knight has awakened and I will make it my duty to ensure your safety," Sanji said.

"Haha! Neh, isn't it always a sleeping _princess_ in fairy tales?" I called out.

Zoro laughed along side me as Sanji had a bit of an annoyed expression. However, it changed into a smirk.

"Yukio-san, are you jealous?" he said.

"Nope. Not at all," I said with a straight face.

_"I've gotten use to his playboy lines and cheesy acts."_ I looked away from him for a sec. _"But I still don't like it." _I reluctantly admitted in my head.

"I wonder..." Vivi said, "Is it really alright for me to be aboard your ship? I don't want to be a burden."

Nami walked over to her, "What are you saying? Thanks to you, we're all marked for death." She started to poke Vivi's forehead. "If you didn't want to be a burden, you shouldn't have done that in the first place."

"I'm sorry," Vivi said regretfully.

Nami turned to Luffy, "Isn't that right, Luffy?"

"Oh! I'm hungry!" Luffy cheered without a care in the world.

"Don't worry, his stupidity isn't contagious." I called out.

"In any case, we know our next stop, Little Garden," said Zoro.

"Is it really okay to go there?" Usopp said reluctantly.

"Who cares? Let's go, crew!" Luffy cheered.

* * *

><p>"Hey, will it snow again?" asked Luffy. We had been sailing for a few hours and he was getting restless.<p>

"Well, it's not as if it will never snow again, but that first part of the ocean we passed through was unique. The main thing to be aware of is to never underestimate this ocean." said Vivi.

"Hey, everyone! How about a round of my Special Drink?" announced Sanji as he emerged from the kitchen with a tray of glasses.

I jumped down from the bird's nest, and landed next to Sanji. He handed me a glass and set the tray down for the others. I took a sip and smiled. Nothing like one of Sanji's drinks to keep us cool and refreshed.

"Hey Usopp, make some fishing gear for us!" said Luffy, grabbing his second glass already.

"Fishing gear? Great idea!" agreed Zoro.

"Haha, alright! I'll make some really artistic fishing lures!" exclaimed Usopp.

"Please, they'll just wind up scaring the fish!" I joked, sending the boys laughing at Ussop.

Carue picked up his straw in his mouth, but had it all turned around.

"No no, like this..." said Sanji, directing the straw back into the cup.

Carue squacked and drank his entire glass in a gulp.

"You like that huh," commented Sanji, giving Carue another glass. He downed that one as well.

"Ohhh!" cried out Luffy and Ussop as Carue drank more and more.

"Chug! Chug! Chug!" I chanted, trying to repress my laughter.

Finally, after his fifth glass, Carue gave a squack of defeat and collapsed backwards from his drinking escapade.

"Haha! Silly Carue!" cried Ussop as Fluffy doubled over in laughter, clutching his stomach.

I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh, and finished the rest of my drink. I glanced towards Vivi and smiled as she relaxed.

The boys got up off the floor and moved to the bow to look out at the sea.

"Oi guys, look! A dolphin!" called Sanji. We all looked out as well and saw the dolphin jump out of the water.

"Cute!" exclaimed Nami.

The dolphin jumped towards us, and as it came closer and closer, we realized it was not a regular dolphin.

"IT'S HUGE!" we all shouted as the dolphin soared overhead, the size of a galleon.

"RUN AWAY!" yelled out Luffy, a giant smile on his face.

Zoro and Sanji dropped their glasses and we all sprang into action.

"Let's go!" Zoro said, making his way to the helm as Ussop started to climb the mast and Sanji leapt onto the main deck.

I followed after Ussop and helped his secure the ropes for the main sail. Once we got back down, I switched places with Sanji who was holding a rope, as he had to secure a different line. I had a firm grip and took a moment to look at the others. Everyone was working like a well-oiled machine, and I smiled as I saw the look of disbelief on Vivi. I bet she didn't expect such a rag-tag group of pirates to work so well so quickly.

"FULL SAIL!" ordered Luffy. We caught the wind and it helped us accelerate a good distance from the dolphin. It resurfaced behind us this time, and was about to dive towards us.

"Alright! We'll catch the wave and ride it out of here!" Luffy said. I was actually surprised he had some sort of plan. The wind picked up and managed to push us the last few yards to clear the dive. We easily caught the wave and adjusted the sails to accommodate the sudden speed.

As the waves settled and the ship slowed, Luffy called out to Nami.

"How's our course?"

Nami looked at the Log Post. "Turn us to hard port!" she called out.

"Aye Aye!" shouted Zoro at the helm.


	31. Chapter 31: The Light in the Dark

Wow, so yeah... around a year since I last updated? I feel so bad but I know that if I forced this chapter out it would not be good. Many thanks to Enamored Minstrel for giving me the inspiration to write this new chapter. Reviews and chatting with you guys greatly increase my inspiration to write this story. I know I'm a bit preoccupied with my other story at the moment, but for now, here is a chapter. I hope you guys like it! PS: Who knows my reference!?

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or Fairy Tail, but I do own my OCs

* * *

><p>Soon, our second island on the Grand Line began to appear over the horizon.<p>

"We should be careful. I hate to say it, but I'm a little worried about what Ms. All-Sunday said," warned Vivi.

"Are there monsters here?" asked Ussop, his voice shaking a bit.

"Oh yeah, I bet there'll be plenty. We may even see some Slitheens."

"W-what are S-slitheens?"

"Massive creatures, huge beady black eyes, long necks, razor sharp claws and bulging bodies. They can even appear to be human too!" I said, a mischievous grin on my face as I saw Ussop quake in fear. "Just kidding~ There's no such thing."

Ussop gave a sigh of relief.

"At most, we'll probably see a giant man eating lizard or something."

Then, he fainted.

* * *

><p>As the Going Merry docked on the island, we started to discuss our plan of action.<p>

"We have to find more food because we didn't buy anything from the last town" Sanji noted.

"So this is Little Garden huh? How come it isn't as cute as its name?" Nami questioned.

Suddenly, a loud shriek resounded in the air, startling her. "What was that?!"

"It's just a bird. This place is just a normal forest. No need to worry, " said Sanji.

"I wouldn't count on that. Nothing in the Grand Line is ever normal. " I sing-songed.

A crashing noise came from the treeline, revealing a massive tiger with two tails. It was bloody and beaten, finally succumbing to its wounds and collapsing to the ground. A loud explosion closely followed, the sound waves jarring the boat and disturbing the water.

"Was that a volcano?!" Shouted Nami. "This is not a normal forest! I mean, what kind of forest has a tiger fall over and bleed to death?!"

"I have decided that we will not go on the island." Ussop, who had recovered, said.

"We'll just wait here until the magnetic fields set and then we can be on our way. We need to get to Alabasta as soon as possible anyway."

Luffy however, had other plans as he grinned widely.

"Sanji! Prepare a Pirate Lunch Box! No vegetables, just a lot of meat! I smell an adventure!" Luffy exclaimed, eyes shining with mischief.

"Where do you think you're going!?" Nami voiced.

"Adventuring! You wanna come?" Luffy replied with that moronic grin of his.

Nami just hung her head in defeat, accepting that Luffy wouldn't change his mind.

"Can I come?" Vivi asked.

"Sure!"

"You too?!" Nami exclaimed in disbelief.

"I don't want to sit around and do nothing. That will only make me start worrying about things even more. A little adventure won't hurt while we wait for the Log Post to set."

"I'm going to go exploring as well. This seems like a real interesting island." I said, smirking. Interesting indeed.

Sanji prepared each of us a lunch.

"Don't get into too much trouble you...guys..." he said, but Luffy, Vivi, and Carue had already raced off into the forest.

I laughed, "Knowing us, I doubt that will happen."

Sanji just gave me a smile as I leapt onto the riverbank. I waved back and set off into the forest.

* * *

><p>I took out my music box, humming to its tune as I walked through the forest.<p>

"Dinosaurs~ Dinosaurs~ Where are the dinosaurs~" I sang out of boredom.

I turned on a bend in the path, and smiled widely as I saw the giant neck of a brachiosaurus loom over the trees ahead. "Dinosaurrrrrr!" I shouted. The dinosaur paid no mind, but the shout had caught the attention of something else in the woods. A growl sounded behind me.

I casually turned my head to look at the giant bear-like animal, seeing it snarl and show its teeth.

"Back down." I said in a cold voice, glaring at it with blue eyes.

It froze in its place, slowly ducking its head and letting out a small whimper.

I continued to walk along the path until it disappeared abruptly, as if the animals just turned around. I stooped down and examined the nearby plants. There was no hint of any animal activity or anything that would physically drive them away.

"Interesting~ Interesting~ Let's go exploring!" I sang with a wide grin.

I pushed through the foliage and trekked uphill. Once the land leveled out, I noticed a cave up ahead. Caves=monsters or treasure= adventure.

With my curiosity peaked, I entered the cave. I ignited my fist so that I could see up ahead. There were what looked to be gems embedded in the walls. As I brought my flame closer for inspection however, the stones started to suck in the magical flames. _Lacrima_.

If all of the stones in the cave were lacrima, then they must be powering something pretty complex or large to consume that much magic. I backed away and froze as I heard a whisper in my head. It was different from Ryutaro, more...child-like.

"_**Dark..Cold...Where…"**_

I started to walk a bit faster into the cave, drawn to that voice asking for help.

I felt a surge of magic from the walls, and noticed magic circles activate on them. Flames sprouted from both sides and quickly surrounded me. With a large intake of breath, I consumed the flames instantly. From the taste, I could tell that they had been there for a while. Probably decades old.

As I descended deeper into the tunnels, various other magical traps were activated. They all had a single common element: fire. A dark purple flame that had solid properties, dark black flames that disintegrated rather than burned, and yellow flames that zipped back and forth like electricity all sprouted from the lacrima. Like the first flame, I consumed them, having a bit of difficulty in adapting to their properties. I could feel their power flowing through me and increasing my healing factor.

My back and shoulder felt less stiff from the wounds made by Arlong's crew, while the minor wounds my hands had now fully healed. I had just tossed the spent bandages to the floor when I heard the voice again, this time, louder.

"**So alone..."**

I sprinted the final yards and arrived at a large circular room. In the center was a pedestal with a large oval object sitting upon it. The shadows obscured most of the details, but there were clearly markings of some sort on it.

Stepping closer to the stone, I extended my senses outward for any sign of traps.

"Ryu… What do you think?" I asked out loud.

"_**An adventure will not proceed without risks."**_ He voiced.

"Way to be cryptic again…"

When I finally reached the pedestal, I gasped at what I saw.

An egg, similar to the one Happy was hatched from, sat in a small nest of straw and twigs. The flame-like pattern on the shell was black with an outlining of red.

"**Cold…"** the voice said, originating from within the egg.

I gingerly picked up the egg, feeling a soft thumping, similar to a heart beat. I carefully summoned my magic and sent a soft pulsating warmth into the egg.

A pleased feeling projected towards me, and the egg began to shine from within as cracks began to form on the shell. With a burst of light, the shell fell apart to reveal a small, black cat with pure white wings. It hovered for a moment, fast asleep, before slowly falling into my arms and curling into my chest.

I gently cradled the small feline in one arm, sliding my backpack off with the other.

"I know I kept it in here somewhere…" I murmured. "Found it!"

From my backpack, I took out the set of clothes I had worn when I first arrived to the One Piece world, a cut-up red shirt and cargo pants. Call it sentiment, but it was one of the few possessions I had left from that life.

Carefully dressing him (the facial features suggested male, but I would have to ask later) as to not disturb their sleep, I then set him down on my backpack as a makeshift bed.

On closer examination of the nest, I saw a glimmer of what looked to be a small bell attached to a blue ribbon. I reached out to grab it and was immediately startled as an archive magic array sprung around me. Memories started to flood into my mind without warning.

* * *

><p>A small girl was crying in the middle of the forest, she had scraped knees and dirt all over her sky blue dress. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, mussed up and sticking out everywhere with a leaf or two caught in the strands.<p>

It was her, I realized, just as a small Natsu came over.

"-! There you are! Are you alright?" Natsu asked, rushing over with a concerned look.

The little her sniffed and tried to put on a brave facade, nodding furiously even as snot and tears dripped from her face.

"I was looking everywhere for you! You shouldn't wander off like that. Here, I found this on the way here." He pulls out the bell, fixing her hair and combing the leaves out, tying it onto the blue ribbon holding back her hair.

"There! Now I can hear whenever you wander off so I'll always know how to find you." He grins widely and hugs her tightly before stooping down so that she can climb on his back.

He piggybacks her all the back to the clearing with Igneel, the bell chiming with every step.


End file.
